In the last two years they had gone from lovers to sworn enemies. When Yolanda needed him, Kevin broke up with her and abandoned her in the rain. Rage burned bright in her swollen eyes as she drowned in the piercing pain caused by him. The next time she met him, he had totally changed. His tenderness had been replaced by arrogance. Addicted as she was to his toxic love, she fell for him once again. She forgot the memory of the pain and ran back into his arms, but he took advantage of her love to gain revenge from her family. In the end, she realized that it was just a game of vengeance.
"If you can't pay the rent by the end of today, you should move out!" said Simon Liu, the landlord.
"Sir, we do have the money, but we'll need a few days' time. Could you at least grant us that?"
"If you already have the money with you, where is it?"
The moment Yolanda Wen stepped into the stairwell, she heard the voices of two people arguing. One of them sounded harsh, while the other was pleading.
She rushed upstairs and yelled, "Isn't the rent just a few hundred dollars? Why do you have to be such an asshole?"
"Yolanda, Mr. Liu is your elder. You can't be rude to him," her mother warned. Charlene Xu grabbed her daughter, Yolanda Wen, who was in fit of rage, and dragged her aside. She cast a glance at Simon Liu and felt terrified. She then turned to her daughter and whispered, "We already owe him half a month's rent now. If you piss him off, he'll be sure to evict us."
Upon hearing her mother's words, Yolanda's heart ached and she was on the verge of tears. However, she managed to smile and said bluntly, "I know that we owe him money. It's just that I don't like the way he talks. Why does he have to be so harsh?"
She walked up to Simon Liu and asked in a calm tone, "How much is the rent?"
The second Simon Liu heard the mention of money, his eyes lit up. He smiled and replied, "Due to the inflation and rising costs of everyday expenses, the rent has been slightly increased from what was originally charged. You need to give me one thousand dollars."
"One thousand dollars? Are you kidding me? You agreed to rent it at five hundred dollars a month, and now, you have doubled the cost. Do you take us for fools?" Yolanda Wen asked, completely disgusted with the unfair surge in the rent. Although she was enraged, she maintained a calm expression.
Ever since she started living with Charlene Xu alone, she had managed to hide her exhaustion and sadness well. She was no longer the entitled and arrogant girl from a wealthy family.
"Kid, tell me honestly, how many times have I called an ambulance for your mom in the past two years that you two have lived here?" Simon Liu asked with a smug look on his face. He glanced at the middle-aged woman next to him, and said in a sullen voice, "Your mom's condition requires medical assistance around the clock. Do you really think anyone will be willing to have you as their tenants?"
His cruel words made Yolanda's blood boil with rage. She felt as if she was going to explode. She tried her best not to lose control, but deep in her heart, she wanted to scream whenever someone commented about her mother.
The very next second, Yolanda Wen lashed out, unable to control her anger. "Shut up!"
Her eyes were red with fury and her sleepless nights had added to her spite. She couldn't help but feel like her sanity was in the verge of its destruction.
"You've always given me cold stares whenever you saw me, and I have kept quiet. But today, you've crossed the line! How dare you talk to me in such a tone! I'll teach you a lesson," Simon Liu roared. He was annoyed by just the mere sight of her. He glared at Yolanda Wen and wished he could rip her apart into pieces.
When Charlene Xu saw what was happening, she rushed forward, acting as a barrier between Yolanda Wen and Simon Liu. Protecting her daughter, she begged, "Mr. Liu, Yolanda is still a child. She doesn't know anything. Please forgive her. Give me two days' time, I'll gather the money and pay the rent."
When Yolanda Wen heard her mother's humble words, she felt like someone had slashed her heart open. "Mom! Don't beg him. He's deliberately doing this," she protested.
"Yolanda, I have already made us dinner. Get in, I'll be with you shortly," Charlene Xu pleaded. She was worried that Yolanda Wen might prolong the quarrel.
"Pay what you owe before you take another step!" Simon Liu warned. Before Yolanda Wen could even react, he stepped forward and blocked her way.
Yolanda Wen was stunned. She finally understood what he meant, and asked, "Are you trying to rub salt in our wound?" Only a few days ago, Charlene Xu had been discharged from the hospital. They had already spent nearly five thousand dollars for the treatment. They had had enough money to pay the rent, but they had spent it all on medical expenses, so naturally, they were left with nothing.
Yolanda Wen couldn't help but feel disgusted because Simon Liu knew they had spent a great deal of money only a few days ago. Even then, he kept demanding money.
"Don't think that I don't know who you are, even though you've managed to keep your identities nicely hidden. You know Andy Wen, right? He's the one behind the Wen Group. I'm sure that if you ask him for help, he'll gladly give you millions of dollars. A thousand dollars is nothing to someone like him!" Simon Liu said with a sneer.
Andy Wen...
The moment Yolanda Wen heard his name, she felt like she was struck by lightning. Her expression dulled, and her anger vanished into thin air. She was lost in thought.
She had hoped to never hear that name again for as long as she lived.
"How did you know?" Charlene Xu asked nervously. When Yolanda Wen heard her mother's shaky voice, she could almost feel the stinging pain in her heart. They had never talked about it in the past two years, but now, all her feelings were flooding back to her.
"So tell me, are those rumors true?" Simon Liu asked scornfully. He stroked his beard and cast a glance at the horrified Yolanda Wen. Then he turned towards the panicked Charlene Xu and added, "I have a plan to make sure you both never have to worry about the rent ever again, but I'm not sure if you'd be willing to cooperate."
Although Charlene Xu was still in shock, the moment she heard that there was a way to solve the problem, she blurted out, "Mr. Liu, what do we have to do? Please, tell us."
As soon as Yolanda Wen heard that, she realized that there might be an ulterior motive behind his plan. She dragged her mother aside while glaring at Simon Liu, who seemed like an evil monster. "Don't worry, you will get the money you are owed," she said.
"Where is the money, then?" Simon Liu asked, picking his nose, which made Yolanda Wen feel like she was going to throw up.
"Mr. Liu, we..." Charlene Xu was about to say something, but Yolanda Wen interrupted her.
"You will get your money by midnight. But you're not to trouble my mom anymore," she said. With those words, Yolanda Wen ignored his scowl and pulled her mother aside. "Mom, let's go inside."
Simon Liu snorted. "I'd like to see that happen!" Even after she entered the house and closed the door behind her, Yolanda Wen could hear Simon Liu shouting from outside.
Lesley and Michael both fell out of love when they bumped into each for the first time. The next day, they got legally married. It seemed like Cupid was always up to mischief. Misunderstandings filled their marriage life. Lesley and her ex-boyfriend became in-laws, while the woman Michael had been missing came back home. Now that he had the one he truly loved around, Lesley decided to leave. However, the seeds of love already took root and sprouted in their hearts. When would they find it out? Where would their story go by then?
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Blinded in a crash, Cary was rejected by every socialite—except Evelina, who married him without hesitation. Three years later, he regained his sight and ended their marriage. "We’ve already lost so many years. I won’t let her waste another one on me." Evelina signed the divorce papers without a word. Everyone mocked her fall—until they discovered that the miracle doctor, jewelry mogul, stock genius, top hacker, and the President's true daughter… were all her. When Cary came crawling back, a ruthless tycoon had him kicked out. "She's my wife now. Get lost."
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.