Kevin loved Sally more than anything else in the world; she was the apple of his eye. But he neglected
his little girl now; his full attention was focused on Ella.
Colin was missing, which meant that he was in danger now. Ella had lost her mother when she was
born; Colin was all she had. How could he tell the little girl about her father?
Kevin opened his mouth, but the words choked in his throat. He put Sally on the ground and sighed.
Anne knew what he was thinking. "Eddy, take them upstairs," she instructed.
Eddy's eyes widened. He glanced at the two men behind Kevin before nodding.
The children could sense Kevin's unusual behavior. Ella kept stealing glances at the doorway, hoping to
see her father.
"Let's talk in the study," Anne suggested.
Kevin nodded and walked in with the two police officers.
"On the night Colin went missing, Ella had a nightmare. The poor girl freaked out and was crying to
me." Anne sighed as she closed the door behind her.
Kevin dropped his gaze to the ground. He remained silent, for he couldn't do anything about it.
"According to the evidence we've collected, someone has killed Colin. His body was dumped into the
river. We have sent people to search around the river to find out anything that might lead us to him. But
no luck so far." The police officers didn't know that Colin's daughter was staying with the family, nor did
they think that she would have lost her mother.
They heard a muffled sob before Anne could say anything. She frowned and turned to Kevin; the
uneasiness in his eyes was evident under the faint light.
The sob was heartbreaking. It sounded as if the little girl was in despair but didn't dare to cry out loud.
Ella was standing outside the door, listening to their conversation.
She heard them tell that Colin was dead.
Anne's heart ached as she listened to the relentless sobs. Unable to control herself anymore, she
opened the door.
As expected, she saw Ella standing, tears streaming down her face. She had covered her mouth with
her palm to suppress her sobs.
Ella raised her head slowly and looked at Anne with bloodshot eyes. Fear and sadness engulfed her at
once. She shook her head and ran away without saying a word.
Anne's jaw dropped in shock. She lunged forward and held Ella's hand. The little girl struggled under
her hold but realized that she couldn't break free. Her body turned limp as she burst into tears. Anne
felt sorry for Ella; she wanted to hold her in her arms and comfort her. But Ella pushed her away. "Liar!
You are a liar! You said that my father would be fine. You said the dreams were not true. But my father
is dead now! He is dead!
I only had him; he was my world. But he is also dead now. I am an orphan. No one loves me anymore."
Her body hitched as she cried harder. "Daddy, didn't you promise me that you would be with me
forever? You are also a liar. You all are liars! You all lied to me! No one loves me."
Ella's cries reverberated across the silent house. Eddy ran downstairs, wondering what had gone
wrong.
Anne swept Ella into a tight embrace and began to cry.
Her tears dripped on the little girl's head. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
Kevin and the two police officers witnessed everything from afar. They were very sad. The girl looked
devastated.
"Eddy," Sally whimpered and tugged onto Eddy's shirt. She was scared to look at Ella.
Eddy turned to look at Simon. The boy nodded and took Sally back to their room upstairs.
Anne held Ella in her arms and walked into the study. The little girl clung to her for dear life as tears
cascaded down her cheeks.
Ella couldn't believe that her father was dead, that he had abandoned her forever. She had no one else
in the world.
Unable to watch her cry anymore, Max spoke. "Little girl, don't cry. We haven't found your father yet.
Maybe he is just injured and is still alive somewhere." He scratched the back of his head, hoping to
comfort her.
Ella snapped her head to look at him. Her tear-stained face and puffy eyes made her look like a
withered flower.
"Really?" A spark of hope lit her teary eyes up.
"Of course it's true. The police never lie," Max replied.
They still haven't found Colin's body, so there were chances the man might have escaped. The world
was full of miracles. They couldn't arrive at a conclusion unless they were sure of it.
"I want you to make a pinkie promise. If you make a promise, you should keep your word. Don't lie to
me, okay?" Ella wriggled out of Anne's arms and ran to Max.
Max squatted down and locked his pinkie finger with Ella's. A smile appeared on the girl's face for a
split second and disappeared.
Her father was missing. Where would he be now?
"Ella, your father loves you so much. He won't leave you alone here. It doesn't matter if you don't
believe me, but you should trust your father's words. Believe that he will come back to you and fulfill all
his promises," Anne replied, stroking Ella's hair.
The girl bit her lip and looked at her. She nodded after sucking a big breath. "You're right. Daddy has
never lied to me. He always keeps his promise. He will come back."
Ella tried to summon the strength and believe that her father would return to her. But she was still
scared to death.
What would she do if her father had died? She couldn't imagine a life without him.
Max and Noah glanced at each other. Noah understood the gesture and walked out.
Colin was missing, and all the evidence pointed to Kevin. They didn't expect that Colin's daughter
would be there with Kevin's family.
Kevin couldn't watch Ella cry. The man's remorseful face proved that he wouldn't have hurt Colin in any
way.
Kevin's guess was right. Someone had framed him on purpose. In that case, the police had to make a
careful investigation to find the truth.
In the meantime, Cherry had encountered another problem.
Luke had called, telling her that he wasn't comfortable at the hospital; he wanted to live with her. Cherry
had refused to let him stay with her the moment he asked the question. But the man started to threaten
her. Therefore, she had no choice but to agree.
Her stomach clenched with anticipation the moment he said yes.
She had a hunch that the reporters would photograph her. Even if she came up with a story to convince
them, it wouldn't be plausible enough for them to stop suspecting her. It would tarnish her image and
destroy her future.
Both Alan and Luke were determined to destroy her. But Cherry didn't have the strength to fight back.
All she could do was cry and wallow in self-pity. After a night of endless crying and lamenting, Cherry
went to the hospital with Alan.
"You have recovered soon."
Alan grinned and patted on Luke's back before casting a disgusted look at Cherry.
Her face turned ghastly pale. She took a deep breath and forced herself to look at Luke. His lustful
eyes made her sick.
Cherry knew that Luke was going to ravage her body, and there was no means of escape.
"Thanks, Alan." Luke chuckled.
Alan finished all the discharge formalities and supported him into the car. Cherry was wearing a mask
and a peaked cap, making sure to conceal every part of her body. Her stomach flipped every time
someone walked past her.
She couldn't stop worrying about people recognizing her. What if someone took pictures of her and
released them online...
Cherry hopped into the car, closed the door, and heaved a sigh of relief. Once sure that no one was
following her, she started the car and drove to her mansion.
Her house was a safe place to protect her from all kinds of trouble. Securities guarded her house at all
times so outsiders couldn't enter without her permission. That was the only thing that consoled Cherry
and made her feel safe.
Luke was born in a poor family. He had never seen such a luxurious house before. His eyes widened in
appreciation as he gaped at the house in awe.
Expensive furniture was placed in every corner of the room. The bright lights illuminated the entire
house. The artworks on the wall added an exotic touch to the place.
"I have arranged your room. It is that way," Cherry said coldly.
Luke nodded and walked to his bedroom. It was a spacious room with an enormous bed. He wouldn't
fall down even if he rolled on the bed in his sleep. Moreover, the big windows let the fresh breeze and
sunlight in.
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Luke never thought that he would get to live a luxurious life.
Although Cherry's house wasn't as opulent as the Fu Family's mansion, for a man who lived in a dingy
house, the place felt like heaven.
At noon, Cherry made lunch by herself and rushed to the film set after cleaning the dishes.
Her biggest nightmare became true when she returned home from work. Reporters had surrounded her
community, waiting for her. The blinding flashlights frightened Cherry.
The blood on her face drained in an instant as the reporters hounded her.
"Miss Kristine what's your relationship with those two men?" "Why are they living in your house?" "Did
you break up with Andrew?" "Does Andrew know about them?"
The questions poured in, but Cherry couldn't answer any of them. The security guards had always kept
trouble at bay. However, handling the huge crowd of reporters was beyond their control.
Someone had photographed her outside the house. She and Alan were supporting Luke and walking
toward her mansion. Cherry wanted to explain but didn't know what to say.
"Miss Kristine, didn't Alan beat up Andrew? Why is he at your place? Is Alan your secret lover?"
Everyone knew that Alan had assaulted Andrew. The reporters linked everything together and
assumed that Alan was having an affair with Cherry. They couldn't think of any other reason why he
would beat Cherry's boyfriend.
Cherry gritted her teeth to control her emotions. Her assistant stepped forward and forced the reporters
away. Cherry couldn't stand there any longer. She ran into the house, leaving no chance for them to
question her. The guards gathered together, forming a chain, preventing the reporters from stepping in.
Cherry ran as fast as her legs could carry. The reporters were like predators trying to attack her; she
needed to escape from them.
Cold sweat trickled down her back. Cherry soon arrived at the door and looked back to see if anyone
had followed her. The corridor was empty. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
Anger surged through her veins when she looked at the door. Cherry closed her eyes to stop the
emotions from consuming her. Her eyes were blazing with anger when she opened them again.
She kicked the door open. Alan and Luke were playing cards; the sudden noise caught them by
surprise. The two men turned to look at Cherry and saw her glaring at them.
"What's wrong? Who pissed you off?" Luke joked, taking a puff of his cigarette.
Cherry's anger reached its peak. She couldn't control herself anymore.
She was a leading female star. She had increased her popularity by making everyone believe that she
was in a relationship with Andrew. The reporters had caught her hanging out with Luke and Alan.
Moreover, if they find out the truth, her career, reputation, and good image would be destroyed, fulfilling
Alan and Luke's dreams.
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