Amora was speechless. She couldn’t find the words to respond to Regis’s principle, which she found excessively cruel.However, what Mark said was true. Compassion was merely a weakness that enemies would exploit to turn the tide and bring them down again.But Amora couldn’t bring herself to use the kind of brutal methods Mark had described.“You don’t seem to like my approach, Amora,” Regis guessed, noticing her expression.“You’re right. I’m afraid I can’t do it your way, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let my enemies walk all over me, Regis,” Amora stated firmly, showing that she wouldn’t just stand by.“Alright, then what’s your plan?” Regis asked, his curiosity piqued as he stared intently at Amora.A sly grin spread across Amora’s face. She retu
The school bell had rung, and the students of Sunrise School had packed up their belongings, rushing out of class under the guidance of their homeroom teachers.Parents and guardians were waiting at the pick-up gate, and one by one, the students waved goodbye to their teachers after spotting their pick-up.Rayden scanned the crowd for his father’s assistant among the parents and guardians.“Looks like you’re not getting picked up, you bastard,” teased Benjamin when he saw the disappointed look on Rayden's face.Mark Carter still hadn’t shown up. Rayden thought maybe his father's assistant was busy or stuck in traffic.Rayden ignored Benjamin’s taunt, choosing instead to wait a little longer.“Ben, Rayden has a name. Can’t you call him by his real name?” Kimmy scolded Benjamin after hearing his earlier remark.Benjamin’s face darkened, but he didn’t respond to Kimmy. Instead, he went off to bother another classmate still waiting to be picked up.Kimmy pouted in frustration. “That fat B
"I didn’t expect you to change so drastically, Miss Lysander. Were you once the incarnation of an angel?"The makeup artist who had just applied the final touches on Amora's face complimented her with sugary words. Amora knew the woman was only being polite, trying to please her as a special client."You’re exaggerating, Jessy. This is all thanks to your magic hands," Amora responded with a smile curving elegantly on her lips, now painted with peach-colored lipstick.Amora gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She was mesmerized by how she looked and by Jessica Meadow's skill, a renowned professional makeup artist.Jessica’s touch had made Amora’s face glow in a way it hadn’t for a long time. She couldn’t remember the last time she had paid attention to her own face. Her daily busyness left no time for proper skincare.But even if she had the time, she’d need money to buy quality skincare products or visit beauty clinics.Instead, Amora had always chosen to spend her money on more es
"This dress looks great on you too, Miss. The cut really suits your long legs."One of the boutique attendants explained the design of the dress she was holding to Amora. For the past fifteen minutes, they had been showcasing each dress from the boutique.Amora carefully examined each dress the attendants were holding. She had to admit that the fabrics and designs were exquisite, making it difficult for her to choose just one."Do you have a favorite among these, Miss?" the boutique manager asked politely.Amora gave a shy smile. Her hazel eyes scanned each of the dresses again. All of them were handcrafted by professional designers, and Amora was shocked by the prices on the tags."One of these dresses could pay my rent for a month," she thought, swallowing hard.Still, she didn’t want to reveal her shock. "I think... I'll go with this one," she said, choosing a simpler dress compared to the others. The off-shoulder midi dress, with a long slit at the bottom, felt more appropriate fo
Regis’s eyes carefully studied Amora from head to toe, making her feel like something was wrong with her.But the words that came out of his mouth next made Amora want to strangle him for making her worry too much."It looks like you need new shoes to complement your dress."Amora didn’t respond. She just rolled her eyes in annoyance.Eventually, Regis asked one of the boutique attendants to bring shoes that would match his wife’s dress.Not long after, Amora's appearance was completely perfect. She admired herself in the mirror in awe."Is this all real?" she thought, still in disbelief at the luxury surrounding her.“Oh no, I forgot to take off the price tag,” Amora muttered as she realized her mistake.She tried to reach for the tag on her back but found it hard to do by herself. Her eyes shifted to Jessica, who was busy packing up her tools. Just as she was about to ask for help, Regis suddenly appeared behind her.Amora glanced back briefly, her lips parting but quickly closing w
"But, this isn't our actual wedding ring." The words that escaped Regis' lips left Amora momentarily stunned. "You mean ... this is a fake ring?" Amora asked with a confused expression. "You're underestimating me, huh? Do I need to buy a fake ring when I can buy out an entire jewelry store?" Regis raised an eyebrow and gave Amora a sharp look. She cleared her throat softly and said, "Well, your words were pretty ambiguous just now." "That's why you should let me finish speaking first," Regis retorted, gently tapping her forehead with his finger. Amora rubbed her forehead, then pouted lazily. She shot a sharp glance at Regis. "This isn't our wedding ring because the one I ordered isn’t ready yet," Regis explained. This time, Amora began to understand what her husband meant. "I figured someone like you would want a custom-made ring. Making a ring isn’t as simple or quick as this," she replied. "Looks like you know me well," Regis teased, causing Amora to pout again at his playfu
“Isn’t that Young Master Lorenzo?” The shout from one of the reporters covering the news in front of Beth Jefferson’s art gallery immediately caught everyone’s attention, focusing on the couple who had just walked towards the building. “It is!” another journalist exclaimed. “Who’s that woman? Why is Young Master Lorenzo with her?” Another journalist chimed in. “Could she be his new girlfriend?” The reporters began speculating with their own analyses. “This is huge news!” The reporters' excitement caused a stir around the gallery. One by one, they raced to get the scoop first, prompting the gallery’s security team to intervene after seeing the situation getting out of hand. It wasn’t surprising that the reporters were so enthusiastic, as it had been a long time since they covered anything related to Regis Lorenzo. They acted l
A confident smile appeared on Amora's lips. "I'm very honored and touched that you can recognize me, Mrs. Jefferson," she said. "How have you been, Miss Lysander?" Beth asked, her expression full of concern. Of course, the elderly woman had already heard about what had happened to Amora. Seven years ago, Beth had listened to Gilda’s complaints about her friend’s beloved granddaughter. "I heard that you …." "I'm doing fine, Mrs. Jefferson. It’s wonderful to see you still looking healthy and even more beautiful," Amora interrupted, not wanting to discuss her past at the moment. Beth chuckled softly. "That sweet mouth of yours is still the same as before, Miss Lysander," she replied. "I'm getting old. You’re the one who looks more beautiful and mature, to the point that I almost didn’t recognize you," added the elderly woman. There were actually ma
“What are you doing here?” Regis demanded sharply, glaring at the elegantly dressed middle-aged woman in a matching blouse and midi skirt.The woman was none other than Liliana Ritter!Amora’s eyebrows knitted together as she glanced back and forth between Regis and Liliana, clearly confused.'Wasn't Mark supposed to come? Why is Mrs. Lorenzo here instead?' Amora wondered, still trying to process the situation.Liliana remained calm despite Regis's cold demeanor. She walked gracefully toward their table and pulled out a chair directly facing Regis and Amora.The tension between them was palpable. Regis radiated hostility, but Liliana's nonchalant attitude made him feel like a fool.“I came to see you, Regis,” Liliana said calmly, placing her handbag on the table.Regis let out a bitter scoff. “I don’t think we have anything to talk about,” he shot back curtly.Without waiting for a response, Regis stood up, grabbed Amora's wrist, and headed for the door.Though still confused, Amora q
After spending the whole day in the hotel room since yesterday, finally this afternoon Regis and Amora decided to go out with Rayden. They wanted to visit Emma Adams' residence, more precisely the apartment of Emma's son-Henry Allen.Upon arrival, they were warmly welcomed by Emma. Amora introduced her husband to her.Emma was shocked. She never expected Regis Lorenzo to be Rayden's biological father. But after hearing Amora's story, she shared in their happiness."Thank goodness Ray's dream of having a father finally came true. And not just any father—his biological one," Emma said, glancing at Rayden sitting beside her.The boy simply grinned and continued enjoying Emma's homemade apple pie. It had been a long time since he last tasted her cooking, and before he knew it, he had already eaten two slices."That's enough, Ray. You've had too many sweets today," Amora said as Rayden reached for another slice."But Grandma's apple pie is so good," Rayden quipped, ignoring his mother's pr
"Hank, do you think this recording is real?" Alejandro asked after spending considerable time analyzing the audio he had received.Even though the voice clearly belonged to Altan Demir, Alejandro still found it odd. He questioned Altan's motive against Kenneth. He knew the two had never crossed paths before, and there was no apparent reason for Altan to murder his eldest son."I need to verify it first, Boss," Hank replied cautiously."If this recording is genuine, then Regis Lorenzo has been innocent all along," Alejandro murmured with a long sigh.However, Alejandro did not appear regretful for wrongly accusing Regis. After all, the Royal Dragon had caused him countless troubles. The rivalry between the Golden Snake and the Royal Dragon was well-known.Hank remained silent as his phone rang suddenly. It was a call from one of his contacts.After the call ended, Hank immediately reported to Alejandro. "Boss, there's information that Altan Demir was summoned to the local police statio
Old Madam Lorenzo had just returned to her pavilion after visiting her son’s headquarters. Her pale, aged face was still filled with anger. Her gaze landed on her daughter-in-law, who was already standing there to greet her."Mother," Liliana greeted."You still haven't left?" the old woman asked indifferently.Liliana shook her head. "I wanted to hear from you first," she replied.Winny Silverlake gestured for Rebecca to leave, and Liliana quickly guided the old woman to sit on the family room sofa in the pavilion."You look very pale, Mother," Liliana murmured with concern. She remained standing by her mother-in-law's side and asked, "Did something happen earlier?"Winny let out a long sigh and answered, "It’s nothing. Just an old ailment.""Did Diego still refuse to change his mind and upset you?" Liliana guessed.Winny let out a thin smirk and muttered, "It seems he would rather see me dead than listen to my request.""Mother ...." Liliana's concern became more evident. From the b
"Mother!"Diego called out to his mother again, but the elderly woman didn’t respond.Winny Silverlake's face quickly turned pale. Her breathing grew more labored. One hand gripped the arm of the sofa to keep herself from collapsing.Diego hurried to support his mother and shouted toward the door, "Rebecca! Pablo!"Both Pablo and Rebecca, who were just outside the room, were startled by the head of the Lorenzo family's urgent call. They rushed in immediately.Seeing their employer in distress, Rebecca quickly helped the elderly woman sit back on the sofa, making sure she was comfortable. She pulled out an inhaler from the small bag slung over her shoulder.Diego ordered Pablo to go and prepare the wheelchair, worried that his mother might need it soon. Meanwhile, Rebecca focused on administering first aid.As a trained caregiver, Rebecca swiftly helped Old Madam Lorenzo use the inhaler, gently spraying the medication into her mouth. After a moment, she slowly removed the inhaler. "Mad
“Do you even realize what you’ve done, Diego?” snapped Mrs. Winny Lorenzo angrily.The elderly woman still hadn’t forgotten the lie her son told two days ago. The memory was still vivid in her mind.After the chaotic ship party, Old Madam Lorenzo had been asked to return home and wait for good news from her son. She was extremely worried when she heard that Regis had run away and hoped Diego would handle it well.But instead of good news, she got the opposite. Diego had gone against Regis’s marriage.Winny also found out that Diego had issued an ultimatum to the Royal Dragon staff, stating that Regis would no longer be recognized as a Lorenzo if he refused to break things off with Amora.Winny Silverlake was furious at her son’s decision. She had only found out that morning when someone secretly tipped her off.Diego had previously instructed his subordinates to keep the news from her because he didn’t want her to show up and unleash her anger on him like she was doing now.Winny rare
"Forgive my insolence, Madam," Pablo reflexively lowered his head in front of Winny Silverlake.Finally, Pablo Varon stepped aside to let the old woman pass.Winny curled her lips lazily and hissed with disdain, "It seems my son needs to reevaluate his employees' attitudes. I can't believe you don't understand your place."Pablo knew she was merely bluffing. The Old Madam Lorenzo had no authority to fire him, and Diego Lorenzo wouldn't comply with her whims just because Pablo was doing his job.After all, Diego himself had instructed Pablo not to let anyone into the room. Still, the old woman's threat made him uneasy."I deserve any punishment, Madam," Pablo replied, keeping his head bowed.As expected, the old woman ignored him and proceeded inside once Rebecca was instructed to open the grand door before them. As the doors swung open, all eyes turned to them."Madam Lorenzo," everyone in the room greeted her, except for Diego Lorenzo.Winny ignored the greetings. Her sharp eyes focu
The morning at Royal Dragon's headquarters was unusually quiet. Everyone was busy with their tasks, but the silence was abruptly shattered when Old Madam Lorenzo arrived without prior notice.Usually, Old Madam Lorenzo stayed in a separate pavilion away from the main Lorenzo residence because she disliked the constant chaos that often erupted there, as it was connected to Royal Dragon's headquarters."Madam," greeted one of Diego's subordinates, clearly surprised by her sudden appearance. After all, Old Madam Lorenzo rarely stepped foot in the main residence before the servants had cleaned up any messes inside.Winny Silverlake had always disliked the smell of blood, so she insisted that the place be cleaned thoroughly before she arrived.Sometimes, Diego's subordinates were still covered in blood after getting into fights during their missions. Other times, it was because Diego had punished them for severe negligence.Violence was nothing new in the main Lorenzo residence. That was p
"I'm truly sorry, Young Master. If there's anything I can do, just tell me," Mark expressed with genuine remorse.If it weren't for Diego's threats, Mark would never have become a traitor. He felt awful and didn't know how he could face Regis later."What could you possibly do, Mark? If I asked you to unfreeze my accounts, could you do it?" Regis quipped with a chuckle.Of course, that request was impossible. Mark's weakness was firmly in Diego's grasp, leaving him powerless to act recklessly."Young Master, I—""It's fine, Mark. I know where you stand. You had no choice; you did it to keep your job and to protect your sister," Regis interrupted with a long sigh."Don't worry about it. I still have some savings to get by," Regis added confidently.In reality, he wasn't sure how long that money would last if he didn't find another source of income soon."Thank you for understanding me, Young Master," Mark murmured."Is that all you wanted to tell me, Mark?" Regis probed. He had a feeli