At Sylvia’s residence. The barbecue ingredients that Sylvia spent hours preparing had to be put back into the icebox. Without Liam present, Isabel hardly had any appetite. It was only under Sylvia’s insistence that she took several bites. The child sat on her lap with her eyes drowned in pools of tears as she rambled on and on, “Mommy, do you think the stinky uncle will give brother a hard time?” Sylvia answered, “He probably won’t.” “But he’s so scary. I don’t think brother can stand up to him.” Sylvia smiled softly. “He treats your brother the same way your mommy treats you.” “But Mommy never gets angry at me and also won’t stop me from playing with brother.“ Sylvia felt a lump in her throat. “That’s because he doesn’t know you’re his daughter yet.” Isabel gasped. “Does this mean he will let us play together if he knows?” Sylvia fell silent. If Odell discovered the truth, the chances that he would take Isabel back to the Carters were high. That way, Isabel wou
Odell finally let go with a smug expression when he saw Sylvia becoming distressed. Meanwhile, Sylvia ground her teeth and swallowed her resentment. "What the hell are you doing sneaking around here?” Odell questioned her.Sylvia answered calmly, "I miss the boy and want to see him.” Odell snorted. “Well, isn’t that nice?” He then got up and instructed the bodyguards, “Take her to my car." Sylvia's face changed as she asked, "Odell, why are you taking me to your car? Are you going to do something to your dear ex-wife?" She said this with a sly, seductive wink. Looking at her delicate and fair face, one was reminded of just how charming she was. "You think too highly of yourself,” Odell replied stonily."Then, why are you bringing me to your car all tied up?” "I can do whatever I want." “So, are you saying that you’re trying to take advantage of me?" Sylvia said with a sigh as if she was deeply disappointed by how callous he was. Odell's face turned stormy. “Shu
At the Carters', when Odell entered, the family physician was attending to Liam. The boy’s complexion was sickly pale, and he seemed to have passed out in slumber. After not having eaten for an entire day, he seemed noticeably skinnier. Odell knitted his brows together tightly. Madam Carter was extremely distressed by the situation, and upon seeing Odell, she furiously accused him, “What was the point you were trying to prove to Liam in the first place? He’s only three years old. What if something were to happen to him?!” Odell looked at Liam who was lying motionlessly on the bed and clenched his lips together without a word. The old madam returned to the head of the bed to watch over Liam after she had tired herself out from shouting. After some time, the family physician breathed a sigh of relief and announced, “Madam, Master Carter, the young master's fever has subsided. He will be fine by the time he wakes up, but he is still very weak and needs to eat as soon as possib
They met each other’s eyes, and not a word was exchanged. After a brief moment, Sylvia came to her senses and immediately moved to shut the door. However, Odell scoffed and promptly raised his hand and pushed the door the other way to prevent it from closing. Thump! The door slammed viciously against the wall and produced a sharp thump. Sylvia went pale with horror. She retreated backward and shielded Isabel with her body. Odell glared at her, then turned his attention to Isabel who was hiding behind her. At the same time, Aunt Tonya stepped forward and shielded Isabel just like Sylvia did. Their nervous movements indicated that they were worried about Isabel being taken away. Odell merely snickered and stepped inside. As he stared at Isabel, a lot of things that occurred recently started to make a lot of sense in his head. Liam had always been withdrawn and preferred to be alone. He was never affectionate with anybody, not even himself and his great-grandmother. He
The two bodyguards were already approaching her. Aunt Tonya rushed forward while beckoning to Sylvia. “Sylvia, take Isabel and get out of here!” After that, she threw her weight into the two approaching bodyguards. Since they were more or less acquainted by now, the bodyguards were reluctant to use extreme force on Aunt Tonya, thus she successfully bought them some time. Sylvia immediately took Isabel and tried to go around them, heading for the exit. However, she had only taken two steps when she ran into Odell who was standing right by the exit. His large figure nearly cut off the entire path of retreat. Sylvia hesitated briefly, then she leaned into him with her elbow. Unfortunately, Odell stood his ground like a brick wall, completely unfazed despite Sylvia throwing her entire weight into him. Not only did she fail to shove him away, but she was also the one driven backward by him instead. Bang! Her back crashed into an adjacent wall. Odell held her down by pi
Half an hour later, at the Carters', a black car appeared and pulled up in front of the entrance. A bodyguard pushed the door open, revealing Odell who stepped out of the car with Isabel in his arms. The child’s eyes and nose were glowing red, and her cheeks were puffed up like a ball. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned to look away from Odell. She remained in that position the entire time, so all Odell saw was the back of her head. Odell only frowned wordlessly and carried her firmly in his arms as he strode past the entrance. Soon, they arrived at Liam's room. Liam was sitting on the bed holding his phone in an absent state of mind. When he saw Odell carrying Isabel in, his dull, lifeless eyes suddenly turned vibrant again.Madam Carter who was accompanying him was similarly stunned. “Isabel?” Odell put the little girl down. Immediately, Isabel raised her foot and proceeded to deliberately stomp on his shoe mercilessly. Odell hardly reacted at al
At Sylvia’s residence, after Isabel had been taken away, Sylvia had just been sitting in a chair and zoning out. She formulated countless plans to take Isabel back, but none of them were viable. It was not so much about her lack of strength, but Odell was just that much more powerful. Ever since his victory over his stepmother a few years ago, he had taken full control of the Carter Corporation and had since expanded its influence rapidly. In recent years, the corporation had surpassed all other competitors and cemented its place as the kingpin in Westchester City. He was as powerful as they came. It was clear that confronting him head-on would not work, but underhanded methods were not viable either. It was already past ten at night by the time she composed herself. Knowing her daughter’s temper, she figured Isabel was still awake by this time. Since Isabel did not get to bring her phone, Sylvia used hers to call Liam. The call was answered within several rings. Is
In Odell’s room, a glimmer of the morning sunlight invaded the room through the blinds. On the large light-gray bed was a man who seemed to be in a deep sleep until his eyebrows suddenly twitched. The next second, he suddenly raised his hand and snatched a soft, tiny hand from the air. He snapped his eyes open immediately and saw Isabel’s chubby face. It seemed like she was just as surprised to be caught. Her eyes that expanded into giant circles were proof enough. Odell lifted her onto the bed with one mighty tug. Isabel tried to pull her hand away and refused to let him touch her. Meanwhile, Odell tried not to distress her. He just held on to her arm and interrogated, “When did you get here, and why are you even here in the first place?” Isabel sat cross-legged beside him and glanced around like a guilty criminal before confessing, “I was just curious about what your room looked like, so I came in to sightsee.” She said it as if she was the master of the house or th