At that very moment, Tina could see herself reflected in Henry's eyes.She mustered her courage and walked over, then stamped her feet on the thugs.However, her feet were still numb and she even fell, unable to inflict any damage."You're really useless." Henry chuckled and did the same to the thug who had reached Tina first, castrating him on the spot.Tina thought her heart could leap out of her chest, as she experienced falling in love for the first time.Henry used to be good to her too, but that could well be a secret now.After all, everything changed after Linda showed up.-Back to the present, Tina shut her eyes to quell her messy emotions.When she opened them again, her gaze was calm.Holding herself steady against the wall to get up despite the difficulty, she limped toward the man, stamping him viciously in the crotch.There was a blood-curdling scream, and the man soon collapsed on the ground limply.She did not fall this time, as a hand wrapped around her wa
Tina was basically dangling from Henry, wobbling as she followed.However, the bumpiness churned her stomach, and her pretty face was soon scrunched.In fact, they had just reached the bed when she retched audibly. "Bleurgh!"Henry paused, his face dropping. "Don't you dare—""Argh!"Even before he could finish, Tina vomited all over Henry, extinguishing the fire in his loins instantly.He did not hesitate to fling her onto the bed as if she was trash, leaving her grunting uncomfortably.Still, he sat on the edge, his expression dark as he looked at her vomit-covered clothes, while Tina remained squeaky clean.Red wine was always sweet, but vomit stank.Even as the pungent stench struck his nostrils, he felt sick too.He could strangle Tina right then and there!Unable to bear it for another second, he strode into the bathroom, still glowering as he stepped out thirty minutes later.Changing into the new clothes delivered to the apartment, he slammed the door shut resound
Professor Walls actually found the result disappointing too.He admired Tina's talent, just as he was plenty satisfied with her work in this competition.As such, he tried to console her, "It's just one loss, Tina. It doesn't mean much."However, he simply wasn't aware how important this was for Tina—she could barely keep a lid on her emotions as she asked with a quivering voice, "Did my work come up short?""Of course not!" Professor Walls denied it right then."Then what is the reason I lost?!" Tina cried, her voice shrill in agitation.Professor Walls could only sigh in exasperation."Tina, when you're actually in the business, you'll understand that none of us can fight against money. But don't feel dejected—you will always have my vote, and your future is always bright with your talent."Tina had to fight back her tears, as she was reminded of what she had seen earlier—the organizers flocking around Henry and Linda.Her unease was proven true at that very moment!"So, Li
For Sophie, Tina was willing to go above and beyond, consequences be damned.On the other hand, her father would rather roll out the red carpet for another woman just to marry her.As such, Henry's nonchalance really crushed her hopes.If Sophie couldn't rest in peace because of this…"Shut up!"Henry's visage was cold as steel as he bellowed, "You really can say anything just to marry me, huh?! Sophie is your daughter—and you call yourself her mother, cursing her like that?!""And you call yourself her father?! You're the one who's the problem here! Sophie is dead! My Sophie… She's really dead!"And with that, Tina broke down into sobs, her tears rolling like a string of broken pearls.Even though it had been over a month, her daughter's tragic death still hurt her deeply.Henry bellowed, "That's enough! If you breathe another word—"Suddenly, his outburst stopped, and his words kept stuck in his throat.Even as he stared at her tear-drenched face, his heart sank and he sta
Though Linda's eyes welled up with tears and clearly appeared guilty, Henry scowled.He didn't stop to comfort her, instead growling, "Did you see who was with Sophie?"He was worried that it was a human trafficker—those monsters were really relentless these days."It was a middle-aged woman," Linda replied, her tone uncertain. "She looked like a babysitter, and Sophie was clinging to her happily…""Where did they go?" Henry pressed."There," Linda pointed without hesitation.Henry broke into a run right then—there weren't that many people over there, and he could catch up if he hurried!However, he barely made a few steps when Linda gasped in pain behind her, "Ah!"He promptly paused and turned to see that Linda was hurt—her gown was rolled up just enough to show a gruesome cut on her knee, which was bleeding freely.Henry hurried back to her, helping her up even as she did her best to push herself up.As soon as Linda was on her feet, she pushed Henry while exclaiming anxio
With those words, Henry strode off with Linda in his arms, while Tina leaned on her car, sliding down and buried her head between her legs.She had held a shred of hope even as she returned.Sophie was dead—there was no way Henry could have found her even if she rushed back.With that, he just might believe her and return her rightful victory in the tournament.However, that attitude from him clearly meant there was no hope of turning things around.A hundred grand was worth nothing to the rich, but the average person would never accumulate so much money in such a short period of time.What could she do for her darling Sophie now?-It took a long while for Tina to compose herself and headed into Skymex Tower to get her makeup done.In the hall, the emcee proceeded with the formalities, while Tina and the other contestants waited backstage for the results to be announced.Linda sat at the forefront, dressed in a gown of a famous brand's spring season.She was basically premi
The hall was left abuzz with excitement. Everyone knew Henry had a wife and daughter, as the man was always scandal-free.Since this was the first time he showed intimacy with a woman in public, and considering Linda's gown, everyone wondered if Linda was the rumored Mrs. Barnes."You don't say," someone mused out loud just then. "Looking at them from the back, they looked just like the couple who rented out the whole of Wonderland for their daughter's birthday."Those words reminded Tina the day her darling Sophie was cremated, and her eyes were cold even as she stared at Henry.That was when the emcee announced, "Let's hear a round of applause for Mr. John Levine, CEO of Levine Inc.!"The crowd was once again abuzz at the mention of John Levine's name. The Levine family's legacy had stood for over a century in Jadelight, and John was head of their family in this generation.Amongst all the other prestigious families in the city, he and Henry were the most outstanding indivi
Even as Emma spoke, she glanced at Tina, and there was no hiding the admiration in her eyes.After all, she loved Tina's work for the competition—in her mind, Tina was first place.Pausing for a moment, she then announced, "As the first and second runner-up of this competition have proved their outstanding skills, the executives of the Continental had a discussion, and decided to induct them as interns as well.""It's our hope that all three winners will keep striving to do their best. May we all be graced with even more impressive work than the sublime pieces we've already had the pleasure to feast our eyes on tonight!"The hall was once again abuzz with excitement—it was the dream of any jewelry designer to get a job at the Continental!Naturally, it was Tina's dream too, so she could hardly believe what she was hearing."Really?! That's wonderful!"Still, Yvonne's joyful exclamation and Linda's ashened face were very much proof that it was true—that this was very real!And e
"Yes, it's ready," Yancy said. "Do I send it now?""Yeah," Henry replied.He had personally arranged for everything Mrs. Smith could possibly need, as he wanted very much to make amends.At the same time, he was fulfilling the promise he made when he was ten—to repay Mama Orange's grace.Now that he realized she was alive, he wanted to give her all that was good in the world, so that she would not have anything to worry about for the rest of her life.As they left prison, Andy took a cab.He arranged for all the presents prepared to be delivered to Tina's apartment, while Henry drove straight to the hospital on his own.-Linda was watching as Henry drove off and promptly alighted.She was never one to sit back and wait to die.The first thing she must do now was to determine if Zach had given Henry the evidence and decide what to do from there.If Zach had, then she just had to come up with another plan.Otherwise, she would never let Henry get his hands on the evidence ag
It was Henry's car.He really came, and he arrived earlier than she did.At that moment, Linda felt a chill creeping up from her toes, extending throughout her body.She was terrified at the idea that Zach would really give Henry the evidence.Without evidence, she could just stubbornly deny anything that Tina accused her of doing, and even Henry could not do anything about that.That meant she would still have a chance to use Rory and turn things around, reclaiming her life of privilege.On the other hand, it would be all over for her if Henry really received the evidence.-Meanwhile, Henry was watching Zach with his dark eyes that seemed to pierce his heart, while speaking quietly, "I'm a man of my word, Zach Foster. That little bit of money is really nothing to me."There was no doubt that his offer was very tempting—right now, all Zach wanted was for his daughter to be healthy.Once he served his term and was freed again, he could spend the rest of his life with her, tak
That was why Zach presumed that Henry would keep granting Rory the same life of privilege he gave her before, not knowing what Henry really meant.After all, sending Rory to the worst boarding school, ensuring that she would not starve to death but otherwise completely neglecting her until Zach left prison, could still count as taking care of her.Doing that much, and getting Zach's evidence in exchange, was assuredly a bargain.Still, Zach's eyes widened, his pupils dilating as Henry mentioned Linda hiring someone for murder.His reaction only made Henry even more certain that he had evidence.Nonetheless, Zach only pursed his lips, not acknowledging right away that he had evidence, and did not take Henry's deal.He lowered his gaze, silently thinking.Since he was behind bars, he had no idea what was going on out there.But judging from the fact that Henry came asking, he must have seen through Linda's true nature and would never believe a word she said ever again.And that
But when Zach returned to Linda's hospital room later, he suddenly claimed that there was never evidence—that Tina had bribed him to slander Linda in the first place.Henry found that very suspicious—why would he suddenly change his mind?Then, he remembered that when he caught Linda with Zach the first time, Linda accused Zach of forcing himself on her.Zach denied it and even exposed Linda for abusing Rory to take Rory away from Linda.He had been crying and begging to separate Rory from Linda, or Linda would keep abusing Rory.Henry saw in his eyes then that he really loved Rory.After he left Tina's apartment earlier today, Henry started to reevaluate all the moments in the past that involve Linda.He knew that Zach had lost all hope in Linda and exposed her to take Rory away.That meant Rory would also be the reason he suddenly changed his mind, even allowing himself to be scapegoated for Linda's crimes.That meant Rory was Zach's weakness.So Henry decided to visit him—
Even if Henry heard Rory, she could cry herself hoarse but he would not change his mind.Meanwhile, the security guards kept Linda toward Rory, who had long since lost her shoes, while her socks were torn as they scraped along the ground.The fake nails that she had gone through lengths to maintain were chipped, while one of her nails was knocked off.She grimaced, turning pale in terrible pain.When she finally recovered enough to talk, the security guards dumped her like trash beside Rory, along with her wheelchair."Stay as far away as you can. If you show up here again, we won't be gentle!"With those words, the security guards left.Rory was sobbing as she dropped to her knees beside Linda, fumbling to help her off the ground.Seeing the marks left around her neck and her bleeding legs, her tears poured with heartache. "Does it hurt, Mommy? I'll blow on it, and it won't hurt anymore…"As Linda straightened her back, she completely ignored Rory's concern and slapped her ac
As Henry strangled Linda, he snarled, "Why would Tina push you in the first place?! You knew she was depressed and tried to drive her to suicide with Sophie's ashes! That's why she snapped and fought back!"It's your comeuppance, and you dare blame it on Tina?! You must want to die so badly!"His hands were very strong, and Linda could not breathe.As the fear of death seized her, she clawed at Henry's hand while gasping through her teeth, "I didn't… Tina's lying… Sophie's ashes are still in her grave… You can't take Tina's words at face value…"She had been prepared for this for two years, but Henry was not buying any of it.She was just humiliating herself even though she tried to maintain her innocence. Over the years, she never needed proof to make him believe her just because she had been Orange in his mind.But now, the same thing applied to Tina—Henry was completely refusing to listen to her and had already decided she was guilty.He absolutely hated her guts, and his h
The security guards had seen how Henry cradled Rory in his arms, smiling at her with more affection than they would with their own daughters.That was why despite what Henry said, they were afraid to get physical, in fear they misjudged their strength and hurt Henry's treasured daughter.Then, after a couple days of when he calmed down, he would be coming for their heads…Still, Henry shot Andy a look just then, and he returned to the security guards as he explained coolly, "Mr. Barnes absolutely loathes these two. You have nothing to worry about."After what Linda and Rory had done, Henry would not stand the sight of them, let alone dote on them.In fact, he only gave a damn before he loved Orange too much and really believed that Linda was Orange, blindly following his feelings instead of being rational. "Yes, Mr. Cox."Andy was Henry's right-hand man, and his words were as good as Henry's words. And Henry's position was clear—Linda and Rory were not allowed to show up here
Rory never realized—or perhaps she never felt like she had been the aggressor, even smartly avoiding the more important issues so that she could elaborate on what would make Henry care all the more.That was when Henry coolly pulled his leg out of Rory's grasp, and she lost her balance, collapsing and sprawled on the floor."Daddy…?" She looked up blankly, confusion starting to show in her eyes.How could Henry be so indifferent to her injuries, even pulling away from her touch?In fact, he did not look like he cared at all as she fell over, let alone reach down to help her out or blow the pain away.However, Henry's opinion of Rory had changed altogether after last night, and he was now further convinced that the apple did not fall far from the tree—that she was beyond saving.If the teachers at the elite school had not contacted him first to probe his reaction, he really would not have known.That Rory, who was always so kind and well-behaved around him, was not just bullying
Rory was unaware of that and was feeling frustrated after Henry walked out on her last night.So when she came to school, she was keen to vent her feelings on one of her classmates.She had her friends drag her next victim to the washroom again, but even as she was ready to dish out a beating, her friends and the next victim suddenly turned on her. Working together, they gave her a beating, repaying her with the pain she had dished out for so long, even shoving her head down the toilet.She begged for mercy, but to no avail.-When Linda arrived outside the principal's office, she ignored the other parents and examined Rory's injuries in silence.Then, she took her hand and led her outside the room."Mommy…?" Rory called out softly.However, Linda continued to steer her wheelchair out of the school before finally telling Rory, "Let's go to your daddy. Do you know what to say?""Yes!" Rory promptly nodded—she really wanted to see Henry too.And with that, they took a taxi to