Honey, You're a Billionaire?

A thud echoed as Anastasia fell to her knees.

"Ha ha ha!" Harriette was utterly pleased. She couldn't believe Anastasia had actually knelt before her.

She hadn't forgotten the humiliation of that day when the video was released in Regalia when her shame was displayed for all to see-mocked, ridiculed, and scorned.

At the time, she thought Rose was behind it. But later, she discovered it wasn't Rose. It was Anastasia. As such, she thought that merely asking Anastasia to kneel was far from enough. Harriette's gaze darkened. "Go on."

Anastasia froze for a moment. "Go on? Is kneeling not enough? What more does she want?" she thought.

Realizing what Harriette was implying, she slowly lifted her head and met the woman's cold gaze. Then, realization struck her kneeling wasn't sufficient. She wanted Anatasia to bow down and grovel.

"Why? Are you unwilling? It seems like your plea isn't sincere enough then." Harriette scoffed, observing the anger and struggle on Anastasia's face. She knew that, in the end, Anastasia would do as she wished.

Sure enough, after a moment of bitter hesitation, Anastasia lowered her head further until her forehead struck the floor with a heavy thud.

Harriette watched, her satisfaction growing with each passing second.

"Ha ha ha!" Her raspy laughter echoed in the room eerily.

She stepped forward, her toes nearly touching Anastasia's bowed head. "Anastasia, oh Anastasia, I bet you never imagined I'd bring you to your knees, did you?"

At that moment, she was no longer Harriette, but rather Kelly. Even back in Regalia, when she had deceived Oliver to become a member of the Young family, she had never imagined crushing Anastasia beneath her feet. But now, she had succeeded. With her triumph reverberating through her every step, Harriette turned around and made her exit.

Left alone, Anastasia remained sprawled on the ground, Harriette's words echoing relentlessly in her mind.

"I bet you never imagined I'd bring you to your knees, did you?"

Harriette had always been the one to keep her downtrodden, even during their childhood. The Harriette she knew would never utter such words.

Anastasia's mind swirled with confusion and disbelief as she pushed herself up to her knees, her eyes settling on the vacant space where Harriette had just stood.

A nagging doubt gnawed at her. "Harriette wouldn't speak like that. But since she did, what could it mean?" she pondered.

A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind, one in particular rising above the rest. It was a thought so shocking she could hardly believe it.

"Maybe... maybe "Harriette" isn't Harriette," Anastasia whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of the revelation.

"But if that isn't Harriette, then who is she? And what does she want?" she mused.

Anastasia bit her lip, determination replacing her earlier fear. She had humiliated herself, kneeling and prostrating before this woman, and now, she had to find out the truth. She needed to know who this imposter was.

Her first instinct was to go to Miles, but she quickly dismissed the idea. She knew all too well how deeply Miles cared for Harriette. He would never believe her.

With Miles out of the question, there was only one other person who might be willing to listen. A certain figure appeared in her mind, and she made her decision.

...

On the road from Regalia to Aurora Crest, Jonathan found Ezra and then doubled back, wasting precious time. His usually composed expression was now tinged with urgency.

"Don't worry, Mr. Finch. Mr. Miles is with Mrs. Finch at Aurora Crest-nothing will go wrong." Sensing Jonathan's agitation, Leonard tried to reassure him.

However, his words did little to ease the gnawing unease in Jonathan's gut. The involuntary twitch in his right eyelid only served to intensify his mounting anxiety.

As their vehicle glided into Aurora

Crest's parking lot, Jonathan sprang into action, swiftly alighting from the car. Just as he was about to reach for his phone to call Rose, he spotted a group of people heading

er

toward them.

"Mr. Finch... It's Mrs. Finch and Mr. Miles!" Leonard pointed out as he recognized them from afar. "I'm sure Mr. Finch can finally relax now that he's seen Mrs. Finch," he mused. Without a moment's hesitation, Jonathan sprinted toward Rose, his beaming grin as radiant as the midday sun.

Leonard and Finley exchanged knowing glances, their eyebrows rising in silent acknowledgment.

"Have you noticed how Mr. Finch seems to transform into a different person around his wife?" Leonard remarked, still somewhat puzzled by the transformative power of love.

A playful glint danced in Finley's eyes as he responded, "Perhaps you'll understand once you find someone you love."

"Someone I love, huh?" The thought sparked a sense of curiosity and longing in Leonard.

Unbeknownst to them, as their banter filled the car, danger was stealthily encroaching beyond the parking lot, biding its time to unleash chaos.

...

Rose's eyelid twitched incessantly. Ever since they started descending from the mountain, her right eyelid had been dancing restlessly, showing no signs of subsiding.

The uneasiness that loomed in her heart grew, and an ominous foreboding engulfed her, making her feel as if something dreadful was about to happen.

She recalled those peculiar individuals she had encountered on the mountain, and Elijah's words echoed in her mind. "Perhaps the appearance of that person who got knocked out earlier was not a mere coincidence." "Rosie, are you okay?" Miles noticed the change in her expression and asked with concern.

However, before Rose could respond, Harriette let out a sudden yelp. "Ah!"

Miles instinctively spun around to find Harriette sprawled on the ground, her face contorted in pain. Worry flooded his face as he rushed to her side.

"How can you be so careless? I told you I could carry you the whole way, but you insisted..." But upon witnessing her pain-stricken face, he couldn't bear to chastise her further.

Instead, he gently helped her up. Once she steadied herself, he crouched before her, insisting, "Let me carry you the rest of the way."

Harriette gazed at Miles, reminded

of how he had carried her from the beginning of their descent. When a passerby had given her a walking stick on the mountain trail, she had felt compelled to show her concern for Miles and was determined to use it instead of burdening him further.

As such, she decided to walk for a while, relying on the walking stick. She could have continued for a longer, but seeing how Miles'

attention diverted to Rose up net

letting her down, she couldn't allow that to happen. So, she stumbled strategically.

As expected, Miles immediately rushed to her side, leaving Rose behind.

A surge of satisfaction swelled within Harriette, though she maintained an innocent expression. "I just slipped. I didn't mean to... I just didn't want you to get too tired, Miles," she said, feigning meekness.

"Tired? I don't ever get tired when it comes to taking care of you, Etta," Miles reassured her with a gentle smile, glancing back at her. "Now, come on!"

Harriette paused, keeping up the facade, before finally relenting and allowing Miles to carry her once more. As she settled onto his back, a glint of triumph briefly sparkled in her eyes. "You're always so good to me, Miles."

"Of course. You're my sister. Who else would I take care of if not you? You and Rosie..." Miles trailed off, reminded of Rose's unusual expression earlier. Guilt washed over him.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

He turned his gaze to where Rose had been standing, but to his surprise, she was no longer there. Frowning, he quickly scanned the area.

Although the base of Aurora Crest had become busier, with more people present than before, he soon spotted her amidst the crowd. "Rosie..." he called out, determined to uncover the reason behind her strange behavior.

However, just as he was about to approach her, the scene unfolding before him made his blood run cold.