Anna nodded regretfully after hearing that. "I see..."Vincent glanced at the fish she was carrying and chuckled, "Why did you buy so little? Wait here, I’ll get you a couple more.""Hey, no need, bro—"Before Annabelle could finish, Vincent had already sprinted off in his rubber fishing boots.The next moment, Anna felt someone squeeze her hand."Hm?"She turned to look at Kendrick, thinking he had something to say.With a smile on his lips—but a hint of gritted teeth in his tone—he said, "I’m older than you by a few years, yet you never call me by my name?"Annabelle was momentarily stunned before realizing—this guy was jealous.The key issue was that this wasn’t the first time he had demanded to be called closely. There was even a time when he insisted she call him that—which was so disgustingly cheesy she couldn’t handle it.So she decided to mess with him. "You keep making me call you brother… Be careful, or we might actually become real siblings."Kendrick let out a chuckle. "Re
Although it felt a little rude to decline, Annabelle still thought it over and said to Vincent,“I might have something going on tonight. Maybe next time, when I get the chance, I’ll visit your place.”She and Vincent were just childhood playmates. When they bumped into each other at the dock earlier, she hadn’t even recognized him right away.To say they had a deep bond—well, not really.Most of those childhood memories had already faded, leaving behind only a few amusing fragments.Plus, Anna wasn’t the type who liked dropping by people’s houses. This time, she’d come to visit her grandma’s, and all she wanted was a peaceful couple of days with Kendrick.And more importantly—Kendrick was already jealous.If the roles were reversed and Kendrick bumped into some childhood little sister and insisted on bringing her home for dinner, Annabelle wouldn’t be thrilled either.So, nope. She wasn’t going over to that "little brother’s" house for dinner.Vincent’s eyes dimmed for a second, but
After returning home, the two of them started cleaning the fish they had bought.Annabelle thought Kendrick wouldn’t be good at such tasks and was ready to teach him. But to her surprise, he was even more skilled than she was. In the end, she became the young master’s assistant.At the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder: Was Kendrick’s experience with daily life too extensive?By all rights, he was a privileged young master—he probably never had to do any chores growing up. Later, as a CEO, he likely had no time even if he wanted to do them. But the way he handled things now made it seem like he had lived this kind of simple life before.A sudden image popped into Annabelle’s mind: Kendrick with another woman, helping her dress warmly, cooking for her…She suddenly realized that Kendrick seemed to know everything about her now, while she still only had a hazy understanding of his past.Her cheeks puffed out slightly as she brooded.Kendrick needed her help scooping water to rinse
When Kendrick saw the person in the distance, his pupils shrank.Earlier that morning, he and Anna had taken a detour down the mountain and rested halfway. At that time, they’d seen an off-road vehicle, and the man who got out had looked familiar. Kendrick had thought he resembled Gauge, but since he hadn’t seen clearly and figured Gauge wouldn’t show up in a place like this, he didn’t give it much thought.Now it seemed he hadn’t been mistaken—it really was that guy.But the real question was—why was Gauge suddenly here?Had he come chasing after Anna?Anna was also quite surprised to see Gauge and muttered to herself, “Gauge came too?”“You didn’t tell him?” Kendrick asked with a slightly jealous tone.Anna shook her head. “Only Julissa knew I came back to my grandma’s house. I didn’t tell anyone else.”Kendrick nodded and said nothing more.Gauge had obviously spotted them as well and was now making his way through the crowd toward them.Just as he was about to greet them, the ecce
Annabelle took a moment to process. “You… saw us?”Last night, she and Kendrick had taken a bath in the courtyard.At the time, she had even joked with Kendrick that most villagers were elderly and went to bed early, so no one would be watching.Who would've thought Gauge had also come to the village yesterday—and happened to be staying somewhere higher up where he could see down?Kendrick had turned off the courtyard light, but the moon was so bright last night, like a giant lightbulb hanging in the sky. Who knew how much Gauge had seen?Annabelle felt utterly mortified. Her whole being was overwhelmed with awkwardness.Gauge’s expression wasn’t exactly natural either. He stiffly explained, “I didn’t watch the whole time!”Annabelle twitched at the corners of her mouth and glared at him.“What do you mean, didn’t watch the whole time?”Gauge cleared his throat and casually said, “At first, I noticed the courtyard light came on, so I glanced over. Then I saw it was you and Kendrick—I
Annabelle actually wanted to have lunch at Gauge’s place.Her grandmother’s old stove wasn’t very convenient to use, and she was also curious about where Gauge’s house was and what it looked like.After all, this was her hometown. And when Gauge mentioned he also had a home here, it gave Annabelle a sudden sense of closeness—like two people from the same village.They were already quite familiar with each other. Gauge had been her classmate, her driving instructor, and her co-star in a commercial. Now, he was even the vice president of the company she had signed with. And now, to top it off, they were also “hometown folks.”It was like… how to put it? Like adding one more bond on top of many.She wasn’t sure if her “lemony” young master (Kendrick) would be willing to go, so she glanced at him.“How about… we eat at Gauge’s place?”Kendrick looked at her, letting out a silent sigh. All he wanted was a few days of peaceful countryside life with his little wife. Why was it so hard?But w
As Kendrick was lost in thought, Annabelle called out to him, “Let me help you carry a couple of those.”Just moments ago, Kendrick had taken all the shopping bags from her hands—he was carrying everything by himself now.Seeing his forehead glistening with sweat, Annabelle, who now had empty hands, felt both guilty and worried.Kendrick looked back at her, smiled, and said, “I could carry you on my back too, no problem.”“Stop messing around, give me two bags.”Seeing how serious she looked, eyebrows furrowed and all, he finally gave in and handed her two of the lightest ones.But as soon as she took them, Gauge casually took them from her without saying a word.Annabelle: “…”She felt like she’d just become the middleman in a hand-off.Kendrick glanced at Gauge. “Thanks, Mr. Murphy.”His tone and look were both laced with provocation.Even Annabelle thought he was kinda asking for a punch right then.Gauge snorted coldly, “Don’t thank me. It’s not like I’m helping you.”“Tsk, brat…”
Afterward, the three of them returned to Grandma’s house first.Gauge waited in the courtyard while Annabelle and Kendrick brought the things they bought at the market into the house. After grabbing the ingredients they needed for lunch, the three of them headed to Gauge’s place together.When they arrived in front of the white guesthouse, Kendrick couldn’t help but chuckle.That morning, he and Anna had passed by this very spot. He had been wondering at the time—the place had a fresh, elegant architectural style. But there was no signboard, so maybe it wasn’t a guesthouse after all. If it was just a private residence, then it probably belonged to someone with means.Sure enough, his guess wasn’t far off. What he didn’t expect was that this would turn out to be Gauge’s home.After stepping through the front gate, Annabelle couldn’t help but marvel.To build such a charming little courtyard on this sloped hill must’ve taken a lot of thought and care.“Come in, rest a bit. Have some wat
Ten minutes later, Annabelle finally finished getting dressed and walked out of the bedroom, then followed the young master out of the suite.This was the young master’s private suite at the hotel. Annabelle wasn’t sure if it was where he stayed regularly. She only knew that the last time she was poisoned in South Lake City, she was brought here by him—so it felt somewhat familiar.They headed slowly toward the elevator.The young master was clearly aware her back was hurting, so he walked at a leisurely pace to match hers.As they walked, he asked casually, “You've been with Kendrick for a while now. Tired of him yet?”Annabelle glanced at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. His expression was calm, unreadable.She lowered her head and replied softly, “...No.”“Has he ever bullied you?”“Bullied... uh, no. He hasn’t.”Annabelle almost answered instinctively—Kendrick had “bullied” her too many times, though not in the way the young master meant. Realizing her slip, she instantly regret
Annabelle called back, and the call was picked up before the first ring even ended."Anna, where are you? Are you okay?" Kendrick's anxious voice came through."I'm fine, don’t worry. I’m at the Young Master's place..."Kendrick was silent for two seconds. "What’s wrong with your voice?"Annabelle didn’t think there was anything wrong with her voice. But since she had just woken up and was still lying down, her tone wasn’t as clear as usual. Kendrick must’ve noticed."I just woke up... still lying down.""Is that so."His voice was hoarse, as if he was trying to suppress some emotions.Annabelle quickly explained, "It’s not what you’re thinking.""I know," he paused, "When can you come back?""I’ll come now—ow..." Annabelle said as she tried to sit up, but pain in her waist forced her to lie back down."What’s wrong?""My back hurts."Kendrick went quiet again. "Can you come back today? I can take you to the hospital.""I can. Meet me at Central Hospital, I’ll ask the Young Master to
Ryan replied, “My plan is underway. You all promised not to interfere with my pace.”“Unless your pace is too slow,” the man said with a pause. “Consider this a warning. If you keep stalling, your Anna might not be so lucky next time.”He hung up.In the blink of an eye, the man had vanished from Ryan’s view.Ryan clenched his fists. Blood from the wound on his arm dripped down to the ground.He hadn’t dared contact Anna publicly, precisely to avoid this kind of situation—afraid she’d become his weakness and be used to threaten him.And now, what he feared most had still happened.Kendrick had to die—whether to reclaim Anna or for his own reasons.But he hated being forced like this.Especially when they used Anna to push him.Glancing at the unconscious Anna in the back seat, Ryan calmed himself, got in the car, and drove away quickly.Annabelle didn’t know how long she’d been asleep.When she opened her eyes, the room around her gradually came into focus.She recognized this place.
Annabelle still wanted to go forward to help, but Seraphina grabbed her arm.“If you go over there, the young master will have to save you too.”Hearing this, Annabelle snapped back to her senses and finally didn’t step forward, only watching anxiously in the young master’s direction.As he passed the gate, the young master grabbed a fire extinguisher and rushed to the car door. He smashed the front passenger window hard twice, shattering the glass.The trapped driver, Barry, immediately crawled out through the window.By then, security guards had also rushed over, each holding a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.The young master quickly walked back toward them.Just when Annabelle thought the danger had passed—Boom!A loud explosion burst from the car!The blast shockwave seemed to hit the young master. He staggered forward from the impact.“Young master!”Both Annabelle and Seraphina cried out at the same time.Annabelle endured the sharp pain in her waist and forced down her d
What was Young Master doing at the Whitney Group?He had said before that he didn’t know much about Ryan. Running into him here today—could it be that Young Master was doing business with the the Whitney Group?Annabelle noticed that Seraphina was standing on Young Master's left side, while on his right was another man in a suit, holding documents and reporting something as they walked. Three more suited men followed closely behind.It seemed clear—this was a business visit.Seraphina inadvertently turned her head and glanced in Annabelle’s direction. She seemed to have spotted her and said something to Young Master.Annabelle saw Young Master turn and look toward her, where she sat in the car.Since he had seen her, Annabelle decided to go say hello.Ever since their phone call in North City, she hadn’t spoken to Young Master. This was a good chance to thank him in person for warning her and Kendrick that their breakfast had been poisoned—if not for that call, the consequences would’
Scott held Julissa by the shoulder and gave her a light pat. “You should count yourself lucky it was me you met.”“What do you mean?”“If you’d run into a real scumbag, you’d probably get played in circles without even knowing it.”“Mr. Nichols, why are you saying that all of a sudden…” Julissa pouted. “You’re really good at hitting where it hurts.”Scott paused, rubbing his brow. She had already met a scumbag before.That brat Liam had completely fooled her—planning a wedding with her on one side while sleeping with another woman on the other. Julissa might be easy to deceive, but she had one redeeming quality: once she saw through someone, she left immediately, no second chances, no regrets. Even if she and Liam had been childhood sweethearts for over ten years, it didn’t matter.“Alright, I won’t bring it up again,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. The most urgent matter now was dealing with the Keller family and the massive trouble they posed.—Elsewhere, Annabelle and Kendr
Looking at the wound on her face, Julissa instantly panicked.Would it leave a scar?But then she quickly comforted herself—it’s fine, Anna would definitely help her heal without a trace. After all, Anna had suffered serious injuries before and still fully recovered.Soon, Scott came out carrying a first-aid kit.Seeing how well-stocked it was, Julissa was a bit surprised. “Wow, this thing’s fully loaded. Why do you even have surgical scissors?”Scott glanced at her. “Why do you ask so many questions?”“I’m just curious.”He didn’t answer and started cleaning her wound first to prevent infection.Only then did Julissa start crying out in pain.“Just hold on for a bit.”“But I really hate pain! When I was a kid, I could only get shots after I fell asleep—so I wouldn’t see it coming.”As Scott moved in with a cotton swab to apply medicine, she screamed before he even touched her.He was speechless. “Weren’t you just smiling a moment ago?”“I hadn’t seen my wound yet, so I wasn’t scared.
The wound was about an inch long, right on her cheek, and blood had already started to seep out.Julissa wiped her face, hissing slightly, and when she saw the blood on her fingers, her eyes widened in shock.Annabelle quickly figured it out—when Heather slapped Julissa earlier, she must have twisted her diamond ring around. So when her hand struck Julissa’s face, the ring cut into her cheek.By now, Heather had already climbed to her feet, screaming hysterically at Annabelle, “Even my parents never hit me, and you dare to slap me?!”Julissa let out a cold laugh. “Maybe that’s exactly why you’re so spoiled and uncivilized.”That one jab hit a nerve. Heather lost it. “Say that again! Who are you calling uncivilized? Who?!”Screaming, she lunged at Julissa, aiming to grab her hair.But before she could touch Julissa, her wrist was caught in a firm grip.“If you dare lay another finger on her, you won’t need this hand anymore.”With that, Scott yanked Heather away from Julissa.Heather s
"So you'd better figure out how to deal with them as soon as possible. If you need my help, just say the word."Scott thought back to the look of rage on Heather’s face that day at the club when she saw Julissa. His mood grew heavier.Heather had an extreme personality, and her father was cunning and ruthless. The father-daughter duo was capable of anything.Regardless, he was genuinely grateful for what Kendrick had said today—and the investigation he’d quietly done on his behalf.“Looks like I need to find Samuel’s weak spot fast. Still, thank you, Kendrick.”Kendrick waved it off. “Actually, I should be thanking you. And this—this is my token of appreciation.”As he spoke, he pulled a contract from the briefcase he carried—this was the file he’d asked Jaime to deliver earlier during lunch.Kendrick’s newly developed property project came with fully furnished apartments, and among the amenities, he had incorporated a smart home system that happened to align perfectly with the Nichol