“He has something personal to take care of today. He’ll be off the island for the day and back tonight,” Kendrick said.Annabelle nodded and didn’t ask any further. Jax had done this before—when he wasn’t needed, he would go off to handle his own affairs.As for what those affairs were, Kendrick never seemed to ask, so Annabelle didn’t think too much about it either.Still, she couldn’t help but recall Jax’s past and wonder whether those enemies who had once hunted him were still active.“Let’s go eat.”Kendrick took her hand and led her toward the dining area, explaining their plans for the day as they walked.“After breakfast, we’ll take Little Yellow Dog for a walk. Then at noon, we’ll visit the old butler who hosted you last time. I’ve already let him know you’re coming—he was very happy to hear it…”Annabelle thought his arrangements were perfect. All she had to do was nod and say okay.“Since you don’t have any filming today, I won’t make you stick with the crew. No objections?”
If she went over now, Kendrick might come ashore at any moment, interrupting her plan.But if she waited too long, they might leave together or stay glued to each other the entire time, and then she’d have no chance at all.As the woman hesitated, Kendrick stepped onto the shore.She watched as he walked over to Annabelle. The two seemed to be planning to rest under the umbrella for a while.She bit her straw in frustration, then set down her empty cup and turned away from the beach.A moment later, she bought another iced drink. Just as she stepped out of the shop, she spotted Kendrick and another man leaving the beach and heading into a bar.Judging from their interaction, she quickly made an assessment.It seemed Kendrick had run into a business acquaintance on the island, and they had gone to discuss work. Annabelle hadn’t joined them—either because she wasn’t interested or because Kendrick didn’t want her to.Either way, she was now alone and completely out of Kendrick’s line of
Aside from the group of girls, there were also other people nearby watching the scene unfold. Although the crowd wasn’t huge, there were still about a dozen onlookers, both men and women.Watching drama had no borders…Especially when it involved two stunning women in a dispute—it naturally drew attention. Some were genuinely curious about the argument, while others were just taking the opportunity to admire long legs and tiny waists.Annabelle knew by now that her peaceful rest was out of the question. More than that, this was becoming troublesome.She draped a shawl over her shoulders and stood up, intending to find Kendrick.But the woman in the red bikini stepped in front of her, blocking her path.Annabelle glared at her. “I didn’t take anything of yours. Move.”She attempted to sidestep and go around her, but the other girls had already closed in, surrounding her.The woman in the red bikini smirked. “Steal something and think you can just walk away? You’re not going anywhere un
Annabelle took out her phone, intending to call Kendrick, but before she could, a girl behind her swiftly snatched it away.“Hurry up and let our handsome guy search you. As long as you're innocent, we’ll let you go immediately,” the girl said.The man touched the corner of his mouth and took a step forward. “Beauty, I’ll be gentle.”As he spoke, he reached out towards Annabelle’s chest.Annabelle instinctively stepped back, but her foot caught on a chair, causing her to lose balance and fall backward.At the same time, the man extended his hand as if to catch her but then let it drop.Just as Annabelle thought she was about to hit the ground, she instead landed against a firm chest. A pair of strong hands held her shoulders.“Anna.”A deep and gentle voice sounded behind her.The moment Annabelle heard that familiar voice, she turned around in surprise. She hadn’t expected to run into Marvin here!How small the world was...“What are you doing here?”“I heard you were here filming a
Annabelle was utterly speechless and couldn’t help but laugh.Marvin actually said something like that?“Anna…”“A body search is a body search—what’s this nonsense about checking while I change clothes?” she said sharply.This was her fundamental right, and it was her bottom line. No matter what others said, she would stand her ground.Marvin sighed and said in a low voice, “Anna, it’s not that big of a deal. You’re both girls, just changing clothes together. Otherwise, people will talk.”Being in the entertainment industry, Marvin knew all too well how terrifying rumors and gossip could be.He was worried that these young models would spread stories when they returned home. They all had fans and public influence.He trusted that Anna hadn’t taken anything, but would these models’ fans believe that?And what about people who didn’t know Anna personally?They might look down on her just because she came from the mountains, assuming she lacked integrity.If she insisted on proving her
The marketing director had taken advantage of Ada multiple times. She thought that meant the deal was sealed, but in the end, her contract still wasn’t renewed.She was a top model with a spotless reputation and had worked diligently on endorsements for the past six months. So why was she so easily replaced by Annabelle?Ada had done her research on Annabelle. Aside from her beauty, there wasn’t anything particularly special about her. She wasn’t a professional model or actress, nor did she come from a prominent family. The only reason her status had skyrocketed was because she married Kendrick.The more Ada thought about it, the angrier she became. Her mind was racing—she was determined to humiliate Annabelle.If only Marvin weren’t here. Then, when her friend searched Annabelle, the missing watch could be conveniently "discovered" in her clothing.Ray was a skilled magician—this kind of trick would have been effortless for him.But with Marvin present, Ray couldn’t make his move eas
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone’s gaze shifted to the shawl draped over Annabelle’s shoulders—even she looked down at it in surprise.This was something Fabian had given her a long time ago.Fabian was a world-renowned designer. Annabelle knew the shawl was his creation, but she had no idea it was so expensive.Back then, when she was still living in the mountains, Fabian had visited her, bringing two shawls. One he gave to her, and the other he gifted to a woman who often came to see Annabelle for medical treatment. Fabian had met that woman through her and enjoyed chatting with the two of them.If nothing else, this scarf alone showed that Fabian was a pretty decent guy…However, Annabelle was surprised that a man like Mr. Crooks—who had the air of a nouveau riche—could actually recognize its worth.Ada’s lips twitched as she stared at the shawl.Mr. Crooks wouldn’t say something like that without reason. Comparing the two, her so-called six-figure watch instantly felt
An Susie was once one of Annabelle’s patients. However, by the time she sought treatment, she was already in the late stages of breast cancer. She knew she was beyond saving, so she never expected Annabelle to cure her. All she wanted was pain relief—to improve her quality of life for the last two months before her passing.Back then, Fabian had gifted two scarves. The other one had gone to Sister Susie—almost identical to the one Annabelle had, differing only in color and pattern.That must have been why Willie recognized the scarf she was wearing.During Susie’s treatment, she often spoke about her husband, describing him as a self-made businessman. She mentioned that they had come from a rural background and that he had endured hardships but always treated her well…“Hello, Mr. Crooks.”Annabelle heard herself speak in a dry, somewhat unnatural tone.She simply couldn’t reconcile the loving husband Susie had described with the man standing in front of her.Willie extended a polite
“Stop it, don’t say that!” Annabelle quickly interrupted him.Kendrick chuckled, “Well, you scared me first.”She had no choice but to comfort him instead. “Maybe I’ve just been too anxious lately and overthinking. Don’t be afraid.”Kendrick sighed and gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”Annabelle nodded. She felt the atmosphere was getting a little heavy. Since they couldn’t change the fact that they had to part, they might as well talk about something lighter.“When you come back, can you buy me two boxes of red bean cakes? From that pastry shop in Bellingham `Alley. One for me and one for Julissa, she loves red bean filling too.”Kendrick smiled and agreed, “Anything else?”Annabelle said, “There’s also a clay figurine shop on Lawrence Street. They make really cute little clay dolls. Can you bring me a pair? I want to put them on the bookshelf.”“Sure. What else?”Annabelle tried to think hard. She had only been to North City once, b
In truth, Kendrick had overestimated her.Five minutes later, Annabelle was completely defeated. She pushed Kendrick away and glared at him, her face red.Kendrick chuckled. “Still mad? Then how about…”“I’m not mad anymore!” Annabelle quickly interrupted.Smiling, Kendrick helped her get dressed, while he himself hadn’t even undone a single button the whole time.Annabelle sighed once more—she really was no match for the sly old fox. The moment she so much as wagged her tail at him, he had her thoroughly handled.She felt exhausted now and truly just wanted to lie down and rest.Kendrick glanced at the time and said there was still an hour before he had to leave. He told Anna to rest here for a bit—he would stay with her.So Annabelle lay on Kendrick’s lap and drifted off to sleep.Who knows how long had passed when she drowsily felt Kendrick pinch her earlobe. “Anna, I have to go. I’ll have Jax take you home to sleep.”Annabelle’s eyes flew open. “No, I want to see you off.”Kendric
Annabelle followed Kendrick back to the sofa and nestled into his arms.“Anna, I need to confirm something with you.”“Mm, go ahead.”Annabelle was tired and slowly lay down, resting her head on his thigh.“When you suddenly took off your shoes on stage earlier, was that improvised or did something happen?”Annabelle looked at him and replied that it definitely wasn’t an improvised move. It was her first time on the runway—she wouldn’t dare be reckless. The heels had a problem, so she had no choice but to take them off.Kendrick nodded. “I see. That explains it.”“Explains what?”Seeing how serious he looked, Annabelle grew a bit uneasy—this didn’t seem simple.Kendrick hesitated for two seconds, then showed her the video Jax had given him.It was footage taken backstage while the models were getting ready before going on stage. The cameraman had been arranged by Gauge to capture some behind-the-scenes content for the post-event promo video. Annabelle remembered this and had even gree
After Julissa left, Annabelle originally wanted to return to the dressing room to remove her makeup. But the room was packed—during the short time she was gone, her previous seat had been taken by another model.They were all touching up their makeup, preparing to showcase jewelry on stage later.Since Annabelle’s part was already done, it wouldn’t be right to fight for space, so she decided to head to the lounge and change her clothes instead. As for her makeup, she could just take it off at home.With that in mind, Annabelle headed into her private lounge.As she opened the door and stepped in, the lights were off. Just as she reached out to turn them on, her wrist was suddenly grabbed, and she fell into a strong, warm man’s embrace. The man quickly shut and locked the door behind them.She let out a startled cry, but the man silenced her with a kiss, swallowing her panicked gasp.He kissed her deeply. At first, Annabelle resisted, but soon she stopped struggling.Because the scent
Annabelle said somewhat regretfully, “My husband is on a business trip. I’ll probably just go home and sleep after this…”Truth be told, she did long for Kendrick’s praise and appreciation. Even if he only took her to grab some street food or shared a simple bowl of noodles at home to celebrate, she’d still feel completely content.But Kendrick was out of town, too busy to even attend the event, let alone celebrate.The interview wrapped up—everything that needed to be asked was asked, and things that shouldn’t be asked, Linda chose not to bring up. She ended it at the right moment.As she was about to leave, a flicker of emotion flashed through Linda’s eyes. She looked at Annabelle and said, “It’s been years since anyone cared whether I lived or died. Thank you, Ms. Sanchez.”Annabelle shook her head and looked into her eyes seriously. “I’ll be waiting for you to come find me.”Linda gave a slight nod.They parted ways—Annabelle headed toward the dressing room, while Linda told the c
At the check-in area of the press conference, Annabelle was being interviewed.Only one reporter was present today, but microphones and recording devices from multiple media outlets had already been set up on a small podium in advance.Annabelle stood on one side of the podium to make it easier for the microphones to pick up her voice.Before this, Gauge had asked her if she wanted to be interviewed. If she didn’t, he wouldn’t arrange it.Annabelle was a little resistant, but she agreed in the end.First, she was the brand ambassador, and it was her duty to cooperate with the promotion.Second, she had been avoiding the media for a long time, which only made the paparazzi even more eager to get her story. They had been chasing her down and trying everything to interview her.Even more frustrating, when they couldn’t get a real interview, they just made things up.Since that was the case, she figured she might as well accept the interview openly.Gauge understood her personality. To pr
The stylist handed the shoes to the girl, who quickly walked over to Annabelle.“Thank you,” Annabelle said as she took the shoes.“No worries!” the girl replied before hurrying off—she was about to go on stage.Annabelle bent down to change her shoes.The girl looked back at her, the corners of her mouth lifting in a slight smile, then stepped onto the runway.After putting on the heels, Annabelle stood up and took a few steps to get used to them. The heels were high, but she had worn taller ones before—she wasn't worried about twisting an ankle.Time ticked by. The runway show was nearing its end.Finally, it was her turn.Taking a deep breath, Annabelle stepped onto the runway, wearing designer Malina’s signature piece for the season.Applause filled the venue as she made her entrance.It was her first runway walk. Even though she had rehearsed countless times in her mind—and practiced on-site—it still felt entirely different in the moment.So many eyes were on her. To say she wasn
Kendrick paused for a couple of seconds—was Briley on the phone with Anna?After all, among the people going on stage today, the only one she could speak to in such an overbearing tone was likely Anna.Briley ended the call, though it sounded more like the other person had hung up on her. She came out of the stairwell with a dark expression.A male staff member happened to walk by, and she grabbed him to ask, "Hey, where's the models' makeup room?"The staff member pointed toward Kendrick and said, "Ma'am, head forward, turn right, go down to the first floor. The first room on your right is the one."Briley followed his gesture and, of course, saw Kendrick standing there.Kendrick gave her a faint nod. It was obvious from her stiff expression that she hadn’t expected to run into him.But she quickly forced a smile and walked over.They weren’t far apart, so she reached him in just a few steps."What a coincidence, Kendrick. Fancy running into you here. Have you been busy lately? How’s
Dale said that six months ago, she suddenly received an email from a stranger.The email contained dirt on her—scandals from before and shortly after she entered the entertainment industry. That person used it to threaten her into doing their bidding.Almost every piece of negative news about Annabelle on the internet in the past six months had been spread by Dale.But she had only ever communicated with the person via phone calls—never met them in person. What’s more, it was a one-way communication: the person always called her, using a hidden number and a voice changer. Dale didn’t even know if the person was male or female.What she could confirm, however, was that the person knew everything about Annabelle’s life—including her past—and had even provided a large number of photos, both recent and from her childhood, for Dale to use in edited images.Dale hadn’t kept doing it just because the person held something over her. That person had also painted her a beautiful lie—saying that