Cyrus Hawthorne’s eyes held a faint smile, "Then why are you asking?" Ann Vaughn’s voice immediately softened, "Because Miyi Yates has a marriage contract with someone now, who knows if that person will help her." Upon hearing this, Cyrus raised an eyebrow, lifted his hand, and pinched Ann’s cheek. His deep, magnetic voice carried a dangerous undertone, "Do you think she’s worth me offending my fiancée for her?" Though clearly a warning, in Ann’s ears it made the little person in her heart flutter. However, before Ann could feel smug, her soft lips were punished with a bite from Cyrus! "Ah!" Ann cried out in pain, her eyes reddened, glaring fiercely at Cyrus, "Why did you bite me?" Cyrus rubbed the bite mark on her lips with his slightly rough thumb, his narrow eyes growing darker, his voice hoarse beyond measure, "You think I would just bite you once?" "Wait... mmph mmph!" Before Ann could resist, she was already pulled into Cyrus’s embrace, her lips and tongue defenseless. Mark Joyce, driving in the front seat, blushed and raised the divider, covering his nose with one hand. Oh my, who can endure this. By the time they returned to Bamboo Creek Villa, Ann’s lips were red and swollen, as bright as freshly ripe fruit, and anyone could guess what she’d just been through. Thus, Ann was once again mercilessly teased by Susie Sommers. "I’m just curious why your man didn’t just swallow you whole, considering he had the restraint to send you back." Ann, embarrassed, pushed her away to get her slippers, "He had to get back to the company for a meeting. What’s your mind filled with, such improper thoughts? By the way, where’s Vera White?" "She went back to the set." At this, Susie’s expression suddenly turned a bit weird, "Annie, there’s something, I wonder if it’s just my imagination?" "Don’t you find sometimes Bella seems... like a different person?" If Susie hadn’t mentioned it, Ann would have almost forgotten about this matter. She stared blankly for a moment, finally speaking after a while, "Why would you think that?" "Just this morning, I intended to help her with her medicine, but she coldly said no, even uttered ’men and women should not touch each other’... when I heard that, I nearly fainted." Susie shivered in horror. It was so bad, Susie didn’t dare stay in the same space with Bella and hid next door. Later, when Bella knocked on her door after ordering takeout, Susie didn’t dare make a sound, trembling under her bedcovers. Ann looked at Susie in astonishment, "She said ’men and women should not touch each other’?" The memory of Bella’s unusual behavior that day during their shopping trip came back to Ann. If it wasn’t just her imagination, could it be... "Annie, do you think Bella might have a split personality?" Susie guessed, "But is it possible to split into a male personality?" Ann furrowed her brow, "It’s theoretically possible, and Bella... she has been through some things. A split personality due to intense trauma isn’t impossible." But the current question is, is Bella really just simply experiencing dissociation? "Let’s pretend we don’t know for now, and tell Bella when the time is right." Ann thought for a moment, then said to Susie. It’s possible Bella herself doesn’t know. Susie nodded, "That sounds good." Just as Kenny finished drawing and came out to pour himself some milk, he overheard their conversation, his eyes bright like stars, darting around. But somehow, he felt that his little aunt didn’t have split personalities. Yet compared to split personalities, his guesses seemed even more far-fetched, so it was best not to speak up and cause his mom unnecessary panic. "Mommy." Little Dumpling took small steps and ran to Ann Vaughn excitedly, "Your treasure has concocted a new hotpot base, it smells amazing, perfect to reward hardworking mommy after a long day!" Ann hugged his small body, teasing him, "You just want to eat hotpot, don’t you, you little glutton. How many days has it been?" "Little Kenny has resorted to all kinds of tactics for hotpot." Susie pinched Little Dumpling’s cheek, finding its texture delightful, much like freshly made pudding cake. Little Dumpling wouldn’t admit it, snuggling up to Ann’s neck and refusing to let go. Ann happily held him, walking towards the kitchen. Just then, the television in the living room started broadcasting a piece of international news. "X Country’s elite poured huge investments into the luxury cruise ship — the Tourmaline, which days ago suffered over a thousand cases of food poisoning, leading to over ten unfortunate deaths, marking it as the most severe cruise incident in history, thus permanently shut down." "It is reported that luckily, thousands were saved thanks to the international Divine Doctor Miss Aquarelle, who was aboard at the time. However, our station has been unable to contact Miss Aquarelle for an interview." "Surveillance investigations revealed that the mass poisoning was due to deliberate food contamination, aimed at killing all aristocrats on board the cruise. The masterminds behind this are still being traced..." Intended to kill all the aristocrats on board? Ann furrowed her brows, recalling the scenes on the Tourmaline that day. The culprits were not only intent on murder, they also wanted to ensure zero traces by sinking the Tourmaline, losing it to the vast sea. If Cyrus hadn’t been on that ship at the time, with the captain poisoned and no one to steer the cruise, who knows what would have happened. Follow current novels on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 Who could it be, going to such lengths to drag everyone aboard the cruise into this disaster? Was it Godfather Carson, Eames, or someone else? "Mommy?" Kenny noticed Ann spacing out and called out in his tender voice. Mommy must be thinking about what happened on the Tourmaline again. After the incident, all surveillance on the Tourmaline was destroyed, but he still managed to retrieve some useful clues. But until he discovered the truth, Kenny didn’t want to unnecessarily add to Ann’s worries. "It’s nothing, Mommy’s just curious about what the Tourmaline is like." Ann coughed lightly, not mentioning that she went on a business trip, which was indeed on the Tourmaline. Otherwise, Little Dumpling would probably get anxious again. Meanwhile, at Bella Hawthorne’s apartment. In the kitchen came the sounds of chopping vegetables and water boiling in a pot. Miles Yarrow Gradually, a rich aroma of food began wafting out from the kitchen. Bella Hawthorne, tied with a little yellow duck apron, was pouring the chopped vegetables into the pot and stir-frying them with fluid ease, her actions seamless. Soon, a lavish three-dish, one-soup meal adorned the table, looking and smelling as enticing as it could be. As Bella sat at the dining table, she unintentionally glanced at a sticky note on the calendar and casually tore it down to read. [Eat less! Eat less! I need to maintain my figure to be camera-ready!!]