"Instead of losing your mind here, why not figure out a way to find her? Justin, I don't have time to deal with your tantrums!" With that, Wilson got into the driver's seat and sped off.…The van was moving fast, rattling over every bump in the road. Serena felt like she was going to throw up.After what felt like forever, the van finally came to a stop. A burly man yanked her out roughly. That was when she realized they had stopped at an abandoned food factory. Wild grass had taken over the place, and several similar vans and buses were parked nearby.Other women were dragged out of the vans. Some were unconscious. The ones who were awake were crying and pleading for help—except for one. A woman in a black jacket was thrashing wildly. The tape over her mouth had come loose, and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. "You bastards! Do you even know who I am? I'm the eldest daughter of the Farrow family! You have no idea what you're getting yourselves into."Let me go right
Serena stared at her. "Because of what?""My… My head hurts," Mollie said.Serena turned to look and was shocked. The back of Mollie's head was covered in sticky, dark blood. No wonder she was so pale. Serena had thought it was just from fear, but it was clear she had lost a lot of blood. Still, considering how much she had bled, the fact that she was still so alert meant she wasn't in immediate danger. "Someone must have hit you on the back of your head. You're bleeding.""I don't remember… I don't even know how I got here…" Mollie curled up inside the cage, tears streaming down her face. She had never suffered like this before. Growing up, she had always been able to avoid trouble just by revealing her identity. Now that she was really in danger, she was falling apart. "Serena, what do we do? They're going to sell us. We'll die in some foreign country…""Don't be scared," Serena reassured her."I just want to go home." Mollie sobbed."Stop crying." Serena tried to comfort h
The bus hadn't been moving for that long when it suddenly braked, and there was a loud rattling as everyone in the cage bumped against one another. Serena hit her head on the metal cage and saw stars.Someone asked anxiously, "What is it? Why's the traffic piling up ahead?""I'll go check it out." Someone opened the door and got out of the bus. Moments later, he returned and grumbled, "Bad news—the expressway up ahead is blocked. They're inspecting vehicles and paying special attention to vans, pick-up trucks, and buses like ours!""No way. Why would the cops suddenly make a fuss about vehicle inspection? They didn't do it before!""I don't think they're cops…" someone demurred."Could the Farrows be behind this?" The hooligans threw dirty looks in Mollie's direction.Mollie's eyes lit up. Justin had come to rescue her! The other women in the cage grew hopeful, too.The chubby guy grimaced at Thomas. "I told you to leave that Farrow woman alone, but you wouldn't listen! What do
Kayden stood before Wilson and reported the latest updates, "Mr. Wilson, we've sealed all the waterways. We're also carrying out a blanket inspection on all moving vehicles on the expressways, but we've yet to find Ms. Judd.""Got it," Wilson replied as he pulled the car up to the side, his cigarette dangling between his lips. The storm in his eyes matched his foul mood.At that moment, his phone rang. He answered it and heard Andrew announce, "We've caught a suspicious vehicle passing through the surveilled area!""I'm on my way." Wilson hung up and sped toward the police precinct.Andrew showed Wilson the latest lead he found. "The van has raised alarms before, and the driver is our suspect. He goes by the nickname 'Whistle', but his real name is Thomas Garcia. I sent my men after the van after we determined the route. If our hunch is correct, Serena should be in that van now.Wilson stared at the footage of Thomas as if the latter were a dead man.Andrew continued, "And have y
The woman's helpless sobbing prompted the other women to start crying and begging for mercy, too. However, their captors couldn't care less.Mollie leaned against Serena, her skin hot to the touch, and rasped, "Serena, let's… run.""We can't," Serena whispered."But if we don't run, we'll be sold off into a rural village in the mountains and never come out again," Mollie countered urgently."I know," Serena said quietly, but now was not the time to make their escape. They wouldn't get far if they ran now.The chubby guy hauled up the woman cowering at his feet and growled, "Stop crying and get your ass up! We're leaving now!"The woman, weakened and howling, refused to budge. The chubby guy grew incensed and slapped her hard across the face. In a violent fit, he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against a tree trunk.Blood trickled down the woman's face as she slumped onto the ground. She looked half-dead.The whip-thin man watching this from the side chuckled. "No n
"Don't touch Mollie!" Serena struggled to shield Mollie."Out of my way!" Carl snapped, shoving Serena hard enough that she staggered to the side, lost her footing, and hit her head on the rocks. She blacked out after that.The skinny man's eyes glittered as he said, "How delicate. Hey, Carl, now that you've knocked out this one, can I have her? You already have Ms. Farrow over there—""Get in line!" Carl barked, cutting him off."What the hell? Don't tell me you want dibs on the other one, too!" the skinny man protested."I'm not letting you get a taste of that beauty first! I'm calling dibs on both of them!" Carl snapped.The skinny man was about to say something when Carl silenced him with a deadly glare. A vicious smile curved his lips as he said before leaving, "Fine, have your fun. I'll take my turn after you."Mollie glowered at Carl with wide eyes. "Get away from me! Don't you dare touch me! I'm the young lady of the Farrow family!""What makes you think that'll stop me
Mollie said weakly, "Go on without me, Serena. I'll only hold you back."Serena hauled Mollie to her feet and reassured her, "We must have shaken them off after running for so long. I can hear running water somewhere. Maybe we'll find a stream where we can clean your wounds."Mollie could tell Serena did not intend to leave her behind. Tears welled up in her eyes.Seeing this, Serena asked, "Why are you crying?""I just feel bad because… I was so mean to you, yet you're risking your life to save mine. I'm a terrible person!" Mollie sobbed."Don't say that about yourself. Compared to your mother and Justin, you were practically nice," Serena comforted her. Indeed, Mollie hadn't done anything terrible to Serena save for a few acerbic comments here and there.Mollie was speechless as she considered Serena's words. She then said, "You sure know what to say to make people feel better.""Come on." Serena looped her arm through Mollie's and gently but firmly guided her forward. Sure
Despair flashed in Mollie's eyes. Suddenly, someone gripped her wrist. She turned to see Serena staring at her evenly and whispering, "Head southwest."With that, Serena nudged her away before darting out of their hiding place and bolting in the opposite direction."Shit!" Thomas swore upon seeing Serena. He leaped down the hill and ran after her.The blood drained from Mollie's face. She clenched her jaw and ran southwest like Serena told her to. As she ran, tears streamed down her face, and she prayed that Serena would get away safely.…"Damn it! Stop running!" Thomas roared as he pursued Serena.Serena was barefoot and practically flying through the woods. She had always been strong, and her stamina was second to none when it came to running. However, biology became her biggest hurdle, and it didn't take long for Thomas to catch up to her.He pulled her back by her hair and flung her to the ground, using inertia to his advantage. She hit the forest floor and felt her head s
Jessica dared not linger in the office. She turned and staggered out the door.Justin pressed a palm against his forehead. He'd asked Zane to hire a new assistant, but the few candidates that turned up were not a good fit for the company. In the end, Justin found himself retaining Jessica.But he never expected Jessica to make such a catastrophic mistake or for her to blame others for it when he confronted her. It was despicable behavior, to say the least!Lila hooked her fingers around Justin's and asked, "Justin, is the company in trouble or something?""Hmm... It's a small loss, but nothing the company can't handle." Justin reached out to caress Lila's hair. "It's your birthday tomorrow. I've made a reservation at a restaurant to celebrate.""Okay." Lila's eyes sparkled, and she rose on her tiptoes to kiss him.…When Lila left Justin's office, she saw that Jessica had already packed up her stuff. All the blood had drained from Jessica's face, and she looked rattled. Lila e
Joanna gaped at Serena. "Huh?"Serena repeated, "Accept the order.""Oh…" Joanna was a little shocked. "But aren't you angry, Serena? It's like he's challenging you or something!"However, Serena made no reply. She knew Justin wasn't trying to challenge her, but to show that he had already moved on from her. If that were the case, she saw no point in getting hung up on the past.…Justin sat in his leather swivel chair in his office at Farrow Corporation, taking a few drags of his cigarette as a scowl etched on his face. Jessica stood before him, looking nervous. "M-Mr. Farrow, don't be angry… There'll be other opportunities—""Other opportunities?" Justin snorted. "We're talking about a project worth billions! Our tender was a shoo-in, but you messed up the date and rendered the whole proposal invalid!"Are you going to cough up billions in compensation for me? A careless mistake—how could an assistant of your rank make such a careless mistake?"Rage painted his countenance as
Overnight, the tables turned in favor of Serena and her patisserie.The deliveryman who had been in charge of delivering the strawberries to her patisserie formally and publicly apologized to Serena. He clarified that he had a personal vendetta against the fruit shop owner and contaminated the strawberries. He'd also confessed to the police in hopes of getting off with a lighter sentence.Ivana had quieted down as well, explaining she'd only used the E. coli breakout to justify her grudge with Serena. She apologized to Serena and paid compensation for the damage her earlier remarks and behavior had caused.Following the change in narrative, many wealthy folk in Nocturna spoke up in Serena's defense. They openly declared that they would continue commissioning Serena's and her patisserie's services for their upcoming parties.As the scandal died down, so did its messy consequences.The incident should have blown over once and for all, but word suddenly got out that the deliveryman f
Jillian's answer was savage. "I, for one, am relieved that I did not invest in Desiree's studio. She has blood on her hands and has committed so many unspeakable crimes. If I'd been affiliated with her studio, it would have shaved years off my life!"Desiree argued angrily, "Those are rumors, Grandma! Serena was trying to launch a smear campaign against me!""I can judge whether it was a smear campaign or not! Now, you will stop the damage you've done to Serena's patisserie, and that's final!" Jillian snapped."No way!" Desiree refused outright. "I want nothing more than to see that bitch dead! I will never help her clear her name!"Looking thunderous, Jillian stood up and slapped Desiree hard across the face. An angry hand imprint formed on Desiree's snow-white cheek, and she fell into a daze.Gary was apoplectic. "Mom! What are you doing? You just hit your granddaughter!""I have no granddaughter as wicked and vile as her!" Jillian seethed."You've crossed the line! I'll—"Be
Jillian initially believed Desiree would not be as ruthless as Gary, who did not draw the line at hurting family.However, after Desiree's bullying scandal that led to someone's death and the incident today, Jillian came to realize that Desiree and Gary were both scoundrels.…Gary had a villa in Nocturna as well. Following her recent scandal, Desiree had confined herself within the villa. While nursing her bruised ego, she plotted against Serena.The media outlets she'd hired to write vicious articles about Serena were silenced. It wasn't hard to figure out Wilson was behind the gag order. Did he truly care about Serena that much? Desiree frowned. She was trying to devise new ways to torment Serena when she heard the maid say they had a guest."What guest?" No one had bothered coming to see Desiree since her fall from grace. Puzzled, she got up to see a silver-haired old lady approaching her with a steady gait, followed by her entourage.Desiree was surprised. "Grandma?"She
Serena uttered, "Wilson?""Do you need help?" Wilson asked.Serena admitted reluctantly, "Yes."She thought she heard him chuckle on the other end of the line. "Send me the address."She sent him the address of the fruit shop. Within 20 minutes, the rumbling sound of the car engine came from outside the shop.Wilson led his men into the establishment, rolling up the sleeves of his black shirt to reveal his expensive watch. His gaze swept over the people in the room before falling on the deliveryman."Is that the guy?" Wilson asked.Serena nodded. "Yes, but we can't get anything out of him. He insists that it's a personal grudge against the shopowner.""Leave the interrogating to the professionals, Serena," Wilson drawled as he gave Kayden a look. The latter got the hint and immediately dragged the deliveryman to the other side of the room.Serena asked in hushed tones, "You're not going to kill him or anything, are you?""Am I that cruel?" Wilson quipped.Serena eyed him spe
Joanna had only just made the announcement when a few uniformed officers entered the kitchen. After presenting their warrant, they informed Serena they had come to investigate her patisserie.Serena had no grounds to obstruct the officers' work, so she agreed. The officers took a few ingredient samples and looked into the hygiene conditions of the patisserie."The results should be out soon, Ms. Judd. Wait for our notice," one of the officers said."Alright."When Serena had seen the officers out the door, she stopped all business sales in the patisserie. She also took a few ingredient samples to have them tested.Joanna was distressed. "Our ingredients are fine, Serena. What are you worried about?""We can't be too certain," Serena pointed out.Whoever was behind this wouldn't have stirred up this much trouble without laying the groundwork. Serena figured she was better off safe than sorry.She didn't have any connections to ensure a rapid testing of the ingredients, so she we
Jessica waited until Justin left before turning to Lila. "What's your relationship with Mr. Farrow?""I'm indebted to him," Lila said."Look, I don't care how you managed to bewitch Mr. Farrow, but I expect you to do a good job as my assistant. I won't go easy on you just because you're involved with Mr. Farrow, got it?" Jessica warned."Yes. Uh, Ms. Hayes, is there any work you'd like me to do now?" Lila asked."You can start with tidying up my workdesk.""Alright." Lila immediately went over to the desk and got to work.A smile curved Jessica's lips. She might not have been able to boss Serena around, but she doubted Lila was a tough opponent. "When you're done with the workdesk, get me a cup of coffee.""Got it," Lila replied dutifully.Jessica was pleased by Lila's obedience and turned to walk away.While tidying up Jessica's desk, Lila spotted the docket set on one side. It contained a thick tender proposal. She stared at the proposal for a few seconds, then looked away.
After leaving the restaurant, Justin gave Lila a ride back to her place, which she rented. Upon entering the residential area, he remarked, "This neighborhood looks old and run-down. You should move someplace nicer."Lila replied slowly, "I should, but first, I need a new job."When Justin heard this, he was suddenly reminded of something. "Your manager mentioned you were in college, but then you quit halfway and started working at the club because you were in dire straits. Which college did you go to?""I was a student at Nocturna University, the local campus," Lila answered."That's a pretty good university." Justin was a little stunned. This was the first time he'd asked about her private life, and her answer surprised him. After some thought, he offered, "You should go back to college. I'll continue to sponsor you.""Really?" Lila's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Mr. Farrow—""Stop thanking me. You were supposed to have a brilliant life full of experiences, and you shouldn't waste