Arthur served a bowl of consommé to Penelope.He then started praising her, "Penelope is the outstanding one here. I heard that she was a top student back in university—proficient in finance and experienced in the real estate industry. She would be a powerful ally beside Bryce."Holly felt disgusted upon hearing those words. She stood up and told Bryce, "I'm heading to the bathroom."Bryce nodded and replied, "Come back soon."Holly hummed softly and got up to leave. Once she was out, she asked a waitstaff for the location of the bathroom. She went inside one of the stalls and came out to wash her hands after she was done.Holly fixed her hair in front of her mirror, feeling rather irritable. She couldn't bear leaving Bryce, but she felt uncomfortable with Arthur's constant provocation.Suddenly, she heard some noise coming from the outside. It sounded like a wooden stick tapping on the floor, approaching her.Holly paid no heed and turned to leave. She soon bumped into a delica
It was a huge bowl of consommé. Even if it had slightly cooled down, it was still hot enough to burn Samantha's face.Samantha was drenched in oily soup. There were slices of mushrooms hanging on the neckline of her expensive silk blouse, and her exquisitely styled hair was littered with assorted garnishes.Her mascara and eyeshadow melted from the consommé, smudging into dark circles around her eyes. Her lipstick had also melted, turning her once cherry lips into a blood-red mess.Samantha's beauty was suddenly ruined by a bowl of consommé. She looked beyond disheveled.Caleb couldn't help but burst out laughing from the side.His laughter angered Samantha even more, and her eyes turned red with fury. Her rationality vanished as anger consumed her, giving way to impulsiveness.She swatted the mushrooms away from her neckline and shook off the hodgepodge on her head. She couldn't be bothered to cry as she picked up her crutch from the side and started hitting Penelope with it."
Samantha pursed her lips and remained silent.Holly turned to look at Bryce, and Bryce turned to look her way. He then took her hand in his, caressing it while maintaining a gentlemanly look on the surface. No one could tell what was happening beneath the table.After a while, Abraham and Quirina stormed over aggressively. They were enraged when they saw Samantha's disheveled look.Abraham was half-drunk in the first place. He lost control of his rationality as soon as he got angry. He then stumbled toward Arthur and slapped him without thinking.Arthur was seeing stars from the slap. He had never been slapped throughout his life, especially not in front of a crowd. The pain was secondary to the blow it dealt to his pride.He bellowed angrily, "Why did you slap me without hearing me out, Abraham?"Abraham replied in a fit of anger, "Your sons have been bullying my daughter, and now you're doing the same. You Gabelmans are all good-for-nothings!"Quirina wiped away the consommé a
Penelope's back was assaulted with a cup. A sharp pain struck her shoulder. The cup fell and shattered on the ground.She turned around and saw a gloating smile on Samantha's face.Penelope was beyond livid. She wasn't expecting Samantha to be so relentless, resorting to sneaking attacks from behind when she couldn't win fair and square.Penelope looked around and noticed the kettles on the cabinet by the door. She walked forward to grab one before striding toward Samantha.The water in the kettle was boiling hot.Noticing that a disaster was about to happen, the waitstaff standing by the side hurriedly grabbed Penelope's wrist and took the kettle away from her.The waitstaff then said, "Please calm down, miss. This contains hot water. It could cause a serious accident."Penelope was the same age as Bryce. Thus, she was older and more mature than Samantha. Her rationality returned upon the waitstaff's intervention.She coldly glanced at Samantha, snorting lightly before opening
Bryce leaned down to kiss her forehead.From there, he trailed kisses down to her temple, her nose, and finally, her ear. He nibbled on her earlobe and kissed it softly, being both assertive yet gentle at the same time.Holly's mind went blank. She turned away from him but was pinned down by his kisses and touches.She belatedly realized that men were creatures who, when given an inch, would take a mile.Bryce had just said that he would pursue her an hour ago. She hadn't even accepted him, yet he was now touching and kissing her. He even wanted to bring her back for a night.Holly pressed her hand against his lips and gently pushed him away. She then asked, "Were you also this impatient when you pursued Samantha in the past?"Bryce's expression faltered visibly. "Why are you bringing her up now? Such a mood killer."Holly said seriously, "Tell me the truth."Bryce replied, "I've never pursued her before. It's just that our parents have always tried to set us up. You're the fir
It was Priscilla's voice. Her booming voice, which was polished from her long teaching career, was distinctive and distinguishable.Surprised, Holly hurriedly pushed Bryce away. Yet Bryce remained composed, his arm still wrapped around her waist.He turned to look at Priscilla and smiled gracefully, greeting, "Good evening, Priscilla."Priscilla was covered in sweat as she had just returned from line dancing.She eyed Bryce and coldly said, "Stop taking advantage of Holly when you both have already divorced."Despite her harsh words, Priscilla was actually admiring Bryce's handsome face in her heart.Bryce let go of Holly but continued to hold her hand. Dappled shadows of the leaves reflected upon his face, dimming and brightening intermittently.He smiled chivalrously and replied, "You misunderstood us, Priscilla. I'm currently in a relationship with Holly."Priscilla burst out laughing. She looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.Holly was embarrassed. She
After getting her flight ticket sorted, Holly boarded the plane. She headed toward Isola with her painting materials. She was accompanied by Leitia and a bodyguard.The three of them landed at Isola Airport three hours later. They then took a cab and headed toward Isola Museum.Just as they stepped into the cab, a tall figure took another cab and trailed them from behind.The man had tanned skin and a ruggedly handsome look with a crew cut. It was Abelin.Abelin's phone rang shortly after the car departed. He accepted the call, and a soft yet confident female voice sounded, "I heard you flew to Isola."He said, "You've planted quite a lot of spies around me."The woman asked, "Do you really like her that much?" Abelin hummed a reply."She's a married woman, and it was even to that family. You should just return if you keep being stubborn like this."Abelin paused before replying, "She's now divorced." The woman fell silent.After a while, she said, "You still can't go af
Holly was completely absorbed in her observation for the entire morning. She remained motionless the entire time.She had to rely on her memory since photography wasn't allowed in the museum, and the HD photos online might have color discrepancies. It drained her mentally with the amount of details to note.Beside her, Leitia found it puzzling for Holly to be tirelessly looking at a painting. Wasn't it just a painting?In any case, Leitia found herself restless after watching for so long. She didn't know what was so special about the painting and only found the mountain to be big and sturdy—much more imposing than the ones back in her hometown. Other than that, nothing else was remarkable. Yet Holly remained engrossed in her admiration. Abelin watched her from afar the entire time she stood before "The Traveler". He had a gentle gaze as he watched over her, feeling content.The museum was quiet and serene on a Wednesday. There was a heavy sense of loneliness among the historica