Merrily Rodrigo left the hospital, her face etched with fatigue and despair, haunted by the doctor's words... "Miss Rodrigo, your mother's current situation is not looking good. We recommend you arrange for her surgery immediately. We already have a donor willing to donate a kidney. We will prioritize your mother's treatment if you can gather $200,000 for the surgical fees in the next two days. Otherwise, we will have to attend to other patients." $200,000? Where could she possibly find $200,000? ... Zachary Sullivan laughed, suddenly shifting the topic, "I've heard that aside from the elder daughter named Alana Rodrigo, CEO Rodrigo has another daughter named Merrily Rodrigo?" Fried Rodrigo was startled, instantly realizing the implication, and said, "Yes, she's the one who recently ran into you, Mr. Sullivan." It seems Zachary Sullivan had already done his research. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked in that manner. To gather such information quickly, the power and reach of the Sullivan family are truly not to be underestimated. "Bring her with you that night," Zachary Sullivan commanded, "I've taken quite a liking to her." Fried Rodrigo, trembling with fear, quickly agreed. Zachary Sullivan's "liking" obviously had a deeper meaning. After all, he was a man who had been in the business world for many years. How could he not understand the undertones?
Merrily Rodrigo left the hospital, her face drawn with fatigue and despair, haunted by the doctor's words...
"Miss Rodrigo, your mother's condition is dire. We strongly recommend she undergo surgery soon. We have a willing kidney donor, and if you can gather $200,000 within the next two days to cover the surgery expenses, we'll prioritize your mother's treatment. If not, we'll have to attend to other patients."
$200,000?
Where would she find such an amount?
Her mother had been ill for two years, and all the money she took when leaving their home was spent on medical bills. Should she return? To save her mother, she had to, but every time she did, she faced taunts and provocations from that man. Her father seemingly turned a blind eye!
But for her mother's sake, she had to try again!
She quickly entered a public phone booth and made a call: "It's me..."
"What is it?" Fried Rodrigo responded impatiently.
"It's my mother. She's not doing well," Merrily said, anger evident in her voice. "You abandoned us and didn't care about her life or death? Have you no conscience? We only need twenty thousand. Can't you spare that much?"
"Merrily, calm down..." Fried Rodrigo stiffly replied. It wasn't that he had forsaken them, but he remembered his wife every time he thought of bringing them home. How could he dare give her money? Moreover, his company faced financial troubles. Even two thousand was beyond his means now...
"How can I stay calm when she might die?!" Merrily shouted back. "If she dies, I'll follow her; even in death, we'll never forgive you!"
"Fine, come to the office now," Fried Rodrigo said.
Merrily hung up and hurried to the company. Upon arrival, she learned Fried Rodrigo was in a meeting, so she had to wait outside.
Merrily waited for half an hour, and just as she began to feel that she might have been deceived, the office door swung open. She quickly stood up, walking forward, only to realize that the person emerging was not Fried Rodrigo.
But it was too late; she had already bumped into him.
"..." The collision was painfully solid, like bumping into an iron wall.
"What do you think you're doing?!" A voice snapped beside her.
Before she could react, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist as she was abruptly pulled aside. Raising her head, she realized that Fried Rodrigo, her biological father, had yanked her away.
Ignoring her presence, Fried addressed the man she had bumped into, "I sincerely apologize, Director Sullivan. Are you alright?"
Merrily's heart raced as she saw the fearful respect in her father's demeanor. The man she had inadvertently run into was a person of significant stature, given Fried's reaction.
Lifting her gaze, she found herself looking into the eyes of a young man. He was dressed in a custom-made Italian suit, tall and imposing with a cold demeanor that emitted an air of authority, radiating power and a sense of dominance. His gaze was fixed on her, predatory and intense as if a hunter had spotted his prey. The intensity of his gaze caused her to step back instinctively.
The man gave her a fleeting glance, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Fried Rodrigo followed closely behind him, his entire demeanor deferential, head bowed in reverence, treating the man like a god.
Reaching the elevator doors, the young man turned around, speaking with an icy tone, "Director Rodrigo, please head back. No need for farewells."
"Yes..." Fried Rodrigo nodded with his head bowed.
The man stepped into the elevator. As its doors closed, he instructed his subordinate, "Find out who that woman was earlier."
Merrily Rodrigo and Fried Rodrigo entered an office, immediately addressing the pressing issue.
Fried Rodrigo pulled out a checkbook, asking, "How much?"
"The surgery alone costs at least $200,000, not counting post-operative treatment... Decide on the amount and proceed." Merrily responded.
Fried glanced at her, reluctantly writing a check for fifty thousand, "This should suffice for now. The company has faced issues recently; I don't have much more to spare. If you face problems later on, call me directly; don't call the house phone, your mother gets very upset."
Merrily snatched the check, "I will pay you back!" She declared before storming out.
Fried Rodrigo's desk phone rang only half an hour after she left.
"Hello?"
"Director Rodrigo." A deep male voice echoed from the other end.
"Director Sullivan!" Fried Rodrigo responded, his voice shaking, his body tensing up. Even separated by the phone, the intimidating aura of the man on the other line was palpable. The caller was none other than the renowned leader of DRM Corporation - the current CEO, Zachary Sullivan!
In a casual tone, Zachary asked, "Director Rodrigo, are you eager to sign that contract with me?"
"Of course." Fried Rodrigo admitted without hesitation. He had been working tirelessly for months on this deal. With no investors, his company was on the brink of bankruptcy. He silently thought of Zachary as his potential lifeline.
"Let's have dinner together tonight and discuss things further."
"Yes... yes... yes..." Fried Rodrigo could hardly believe his ears. Zachary Sullivan had been previously hesitant, so why the sudden change? Whether it meant sealing the deal, Fried didn't care what had transpired!
Zachary Sullivan chuckled, changing the topic abruptly, "I heard that apart from your eldest daughter Alana Rodrigo, you also have a daughter named Merrily Rodrigo?"
Fried Rodrigo was taken aback and instantly realized what was happening, responding, "Yes, she was the one who bumped into Director Sullivan earlier."
It seemed Zachary Sullivan had done his homework, or he wouldn't have asked such a question. To uncover this in just half an hour showcased the formidable reach of the Sullivan family.
"Bring her along tonight." Zachary Sullivan commanded, "I took quite a liking to her."
Fried Rodrigo trembled in fear, hastily agreeing.
Zachary Sullivan's 'liking' had a different undertone. Being a businessman, having thrived in the corporate world for years, how could he not understand the implications?
In the past, he had introduced Alana to Zachary Sullivan. Zachary didn't show much interest in her, but who would have thought he'd take such an interest in Merrily after just one encounter? In such a situation, everyone knew Zachary's claim was probably fleeting and born out of curiosity.
Was he truly going to sacrifice Merrily?
After hanging up, Fried Rodrigo sat in contemplation, eventually making a heart-wrenching decision.
Since Merrily didn't have a mobile phone, he couldn't contact her directly. His only option was to make her come to him. He called the bank to cancel the earlier issued check.
Merrily was queuing up at the bank, but when her turn came, she was informed that the check was invalid. She was stunned, taken aback for a few seconds, then promptly called Fried Rodrigo: "I can't cash the check..."
"Really?" Fried Rodrigo feigned surprise, "There might be some issues with my account. I've been dealing with urgent financial matters recently so that such situations can arise."
"What should I do now?" Merrily, looking at the check, began to feel despondent. How had it become so complicated when it seemed so simple earlier? What about her mother's situation now...
Fried Rodrigo suggested, "How about this? Let's have dinner together tonight. You give me your bank details, and I'll transfer the funds directly."
Merrily pondered for a moment and replied, "Okay."
After hanging up, she returned to the hospital to care for her mother. At six o'clock, she called Fried Rodrigo again: "Where are we having dinner?"
"I'll send a driver to pick you up," Fried Rodrigo replied.
"I'll wait at the hospital."
Fried Rodrigo paused briefly, then hung up the phone.
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm going to insert a plug to prepare you for me. After that I'm going to spank that sweet ass of yours until it's rosy with my marks." She shivered uncontrollably, her mind exploding with the images he evoked. She let out a small whimper as he sucked the lobe of her ear into his mouth. God, she could cum with just his words. She was already aching with need. Her nipples tingled and hardened to painful points. Her clit pulsed and twitched between her legs until she clamped her thighs together to alleviate the burn. "And then I'm going to f**k your mouth. But I won't cum. Not yet. When I'm close, I'll flog you again until your ass is burning and you're on fire with the need for relief. And then I'm going to f**k that ass. I'm going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won't be gentle. Not tonight. I'm going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I'm going to cum all over your ass. Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated?"
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?