Ch. 2911..2920

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2911-'She pretends to be innocent and clueless in front of men, but behind their backs, she secretly plays dirty tricks,' thought Sadie.

She hated Rita's pathetic expression the most, especially when men fell for her act.

'Didn't you say you're a righteous reporter? Well then, I'll just have to get rid of you since you're so fond of trying to win men's hearts,' thought Sadie maliciously.

The thought of Rita in a sorry state made her smile from the depths of her heart.

"Alright, don't contact me while you're getting ready to carry out the plan. Whenever you're ready, just find a random phone booth to call me. Do you understand?" Sadie ordered, ready to leave.

Esmond followed behind her for a few steps. "Sadie, when can I see you again?"

She clicked her tongue impatiently. "I said don't contact me unless it's urgent or unless I reach out to you first. You should know I'm still living in the Russell family's estate. If you don't want to cause trouble for me and Mom, you'd better behave and stay put here."

Esmond nodded. "I understand. I know that man hasn't died yet, so your mother can't come back to me. When something happens to Rita and all of their attention is on her, that's when I'll bring you two back. Don't worry, I've regretted what I did to your mom before, and I won't do it again. I'll take good care of you and your mom from now on."

Sadie had no idea when Esmond thought of these things, but neither she nor her mother had any intention of returning to him. They were afraid that he would abuse them again, so there was no way they would put themselves back in that hellhole.

Moreover, with her mother pregnant with Vince's son, the baby boy would naturally be the new heir of the Russell family if Rita died. Of course, she did not tell Esmond any of that. She still had a use for him, so she might as well let him continue to think he understood everything.

After resolving this major issue, Sadie returned home feeling quite relaxed. She immediately went to Karen's room to see if the baby in her belly was alright. He was her hope for a secure future.

Karen was a bit puzzled to see her daughter return with a cheerful expression. "Where did you go? I rarely get to see you at home these days. There was a dinner party yesterday, and I wanted you to go with me, but you didn't come with me. You have to understand that all the wealthy wives attending the dinner party took their sons and daughters with them. I wanted to bring you too, but you didn't appreciate it."

Sadie knew she had been running around a lot lately trying to negotiate with Esmond about getting rid of Rita. Since it was not a done deal, she could not tell her mother about it and quickly sat next to her to apologize. "Mom, I know you're doing all this for my own good. But I've been networking with those rich young ladies recently too, haven't I? Otherwise, why would I keep going out so much? Didn't you ask me to build good relationships with them before?"

Karen felt relieved that Sadie was not just fooling around outside. "Now that Rita has married Sherman, you shouldn't think about him anymore. No matter how good he may seem, he's not yours, understand? I'll introduce you to more boys. How about Missus Marseille's son? He seemed nice and capable."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2912-Sadie's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Mom, are you kidding me? How can you say Marco Marseille looks nice and capable when he's so skinny? I won't even be surprised if he weighs less than me! I bet Missus Marseille brought him here to meet with us last time because she's afraid her son doesn't have much longer to live.

"Dad didn't mention introducing someone like him to me, so you better not have any strange ideas about this. You're my mom, after all!"

Karen frowned. "What do you mean by that? You should know that as your mother, I'm not going to recommend just anybody to you! I care about your marriage the most. Have you ever thought that if your marriage is good, it would benefit me as a mother too?

"Even though Marco doesn't look like he's in the best of health, his family fortune is second only to the Parr family. So just think about it. If Marco doesn't live long, it's even better, right? You'd inherit his family fortune effortlessly without having to cater to your husband. You'd just enjoy life!"

Sadie grumbled unwillingly, "You're really something as a mother! I haven't even gotten married yet, and you're already hoping my future husband dies early. Besides, no matter how wealthy the Marseille family is, I refuse to marry him. I'd rather marry a poor person than a sick person!"

Karen was visibly agitated by Sadie's words and gave her a light slap. "How can you say that? Stop being so disrespectful. Who do you think you are? You're just a stepdaughter of the Russell family. I had to move mountains for your father to change your surname from Parr to Russell! Everyone in our circle knows about it!

"The fact that Missus Marseilles brought her son here means that she has her eyes on you. Next time we meet, you better behave yourself and greet them properly. Even if you don't like Marco, you absolutely cannot show it, understand?"

"Okay, Mom. I'm not stupid. How could I possibly humiliate Marco in front of others?" Sadie hugged Karen's arm and shook it gently. "Anyway, as long as my baby brother is born, I won't have too bad a life in the future, right?"

Karen smiled and rubbed her belly. "Yes. You are his big sister, after all. Who's he going to take care of if not you? I reckon your father is going to give your baby brother more than half of his fortune in the future. That's more than enough to take care of you."

Karen and Sadie were already planning on how to spend Vince's money once he was gone, but he had no clue. He was still thinking of excuses to ask for more money from the Parr family.

Frankly, the Russell family was not short of money, and the family company was operating normally. In fact, Russell Group was doing much better than before.

However, Vince knew that the money he had asked from the Parr family was just like a drop in the bucket for them. The more he compared himself to them, the more he became dissatisfied with what he had.

'Since they're so rich, what's the harm in asking for more money for them?' thought Vince.

Thus, Vince would call Sherman every day with one excuse or the other. Of course, Rita had no idea this was going on.

As for Sherman, whether he would answer Vince's call depended on his mood. If he was in a good mood, he would tell Lucy to connect the call, and if he was not, he would just ignore the call.

As much as Vince wanted to rant to Rita about how disrespectful Sherman was being, he did not, on account of feeling guilty.

At that point in her life, Rita basically only went to three places-her workplace, her father's house, and the Parr family's estate. At her father's house, she could not help but feel the way Sadie was looking at her was very strange as if Sadie was constantly trying to provoke her. However, Rita chose to ignore it. She had risen above these petty tricks.

"Hey, aren't you already married? Why do you keep coming back home? Don't you and Shermy live together?"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2913-Rita felt bothered whenever Sadie spoke. It confused her at first, but she realized it was probably because she did not want to hear Sadie constantly calling her husband 'Shermy',

Regardless of what might happen in the future, Sherman was her rightful husband at that moment. What right did Sadie have to call him Shermy? They were not even relatives, so why such intimacy?

Rita ignored Sadie and walked straight to Vince's study, having had something to say to him. However, Sadie stubbornly blocked her path at the door.

"I'm talking to you. Why are you acting deaf?" Sadie persisted.

Rita took a breath, turned with a surprised look, and looked down at Sadie. "Oh, were you talking to me? Sorry, maybe you're too short, so I didn't hear you."

"Hmph, enjoy your days while they last. It won't be long until Shermy dumps you! But then again, it's not like you two have any real feelings for each other. Shermy is just unlucky to be stuck with a floozy like you.

Rita almost burst out laughing. If she was a 'floozy', did that automatically make Sadie better than her? Rita was the legitimate heiress of the Russell family, while Sadie, despite adopting the same surname, was running her mouth so uncouthly.

'She really thinks she's someone special, huh?' mused Rita.

"Sadie, why are you so full of yourself? How is it any of your business what goes on between Sherman and me? Plus, he'll never be interested in you even if I divorce him. You should just give it up!"

Rita had seen through Sadie's intention, causing her face to flush red. "What are you talking about? I just can't stand seeing him being harassed by someone like you!"

"Oh? Is that so? I wonder who it was that told me she had her eyes on Sherman and asked me not to compete with her. Unfortunately for you, Sherman is destined to be mine. So why don't you just stay where you're meant to be, and that is being second in line to me."

Rita had kept quiet about this matter, but once brought up, Sadie's expression darkened. She had told Rita before that she had feelings for Sherman. The only reason she did that was so Rita would back off, yet there she was, using it to mock her.

"So you remember everything, huh? You clearly remember, so why did you steal him away from me?

Sadie lunged at Rita, and it looked like a fight was about to start up. However, Rita gently sidestepped, causing Sadie to fall to the ground with a painful thud.

"Ah..." winced Sadie.

Rita crossed her arms and glared at Sadie. "So what if I remember? Sherman agreed to marry me only out of respect for my father. Do you think he would've done the same thing if it was you? Besides, you're not even a Russell by blood."

Rita's implication was clear-Sadie was never one of the upper echelons of society. In fact, she did not even have the qualifications to be considered an option. Even if she pretended to be the second Miss Russell, she was ultimately a Cinderella who had to return her glass slippers at midnight.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2914-Rita did not even glance back as she went to her father's study, leaving Sadie alone on the floor.

Sadie gritted her teeth as she watched Rita's retreating figure. "I swear you'll pay for what you said today, Rita!"

A servant downstairs saw Sadie on the floor and hurried over to help her up. "Miss, you should be more careful. Did you hurt yourself?"

Sadie, instead of being grateful, slapped the servant hard across the face. "I know you're all on that woman's side. You're only here to mock me, right? Get lost, now!"

"I didn't..." The servant covered her face and ran off crying, leaving Sadie alone, silently seething.

She knew that if she caused more trouble, Vince would definitely hear of it. By then, she and her mother would both be in trouble.

Rita had Sherman's support, which meant she did not need to fear Vince. Sadie, on the other hand, could not afford to do that as she still needed Vince for her survival.

'It's okay,' Sadie reassured herself. 'Once Esmond deals with Rita, everything this family has will belong to me and Mom! No one will dare to bully me again. No servant will dare to act superior over me. It'll all be mine!'

Sadie quickly returned to her room and changed into a new outfit. As she was about to leave, she ran into Karen.

"Where are you off to now? What's with you lately? Is this house not good enough for you anymore?" Karen's expression was grim. "I haven't even reached the three-month mark in my pregnancy yet, so it's a delicate time for me. Can't you stay home and keep me company? That brat Rita came back today, and you're leaving me to deal with her?"

The more Rita investigated, the harder it became for Karen to handle. Plus, she was experiencing brain fog due to her pregnancy. Sometimes, she inadvertently fell into Rita's traps and said things she did not want to bring up in front of Vince, especially about Esmond. After all, he was her ex-husband while Vince was her current one. No matter how generous Vince was, he would not tolerate her ex-husband coming back into her life.

Sadie smiled. She needed to confirm the details with Esmond again. She had to ensure Rita had no way out, that Rita would never set foot in the house again.

"Mom, who'd dare to give you a hard time now that you're carrying a baby boy? You'll only need to sit comfortably on the couch and focus on nurturing the baby. I'm going out now for our future. I'm going out frequently precisely because I want a stable future for us. Once everything is settled, I'll tell you all about it.

Karen looked at her with suspicion. "What can you do for our future? All you need to do is just stay home and study. Although your father doesn't say it, he does care about your grades,"

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2916-"Sadie's last semester's grades were passable but not outstanding, so I didn't mention it to your father. Of course, her grades aren't at a level where we need to worry too much yet. Besides, she has me to worry about her.

"I'm sure you know we mothers care about our daughters the most. I worry about every aspect of her life, including her education," Karen said deliberately, hoping to see Rita's expression darken.

Regardless, Rita's mother was gone, while Karen was right there. Thus, what right did Rita-a girl without a mother-have to compete with Sadie?

"Alright, since your stepmother said so, you don't need to worry yourself over Sadie. Aren't you busy with the newspaper lately? Instead of wasting time worrying about Sadie's grade, why don't you use that time on your work? Everyone has their fate. Even if we hire a tutor from Harvard for her, it won't help if she doesn't focus on her studies. So don't bother worrying about her."

Karen did not like what she was hearing. She was about to argue back, but Rita beat her to it.

"Yeah, the newspaper has been busy with that case recently. This guy Esmond is something. He went from a small-time thug to a big shot in just a few years. I wonder how he did it. He probably has blood on his hands. Such a person deserves to die a thousand times. What's worse is if he leads his kids down the same path as him. Dad, do you think someone like him will care about his own kids?"

Rita blinked innocently at Karen sitting across from her.

"Well, does he think about his kids when he's out there making waves? If he didn't, then he definitely doesn't care about them. People like him don't know how to accumulate blessings for their families. Even if he has kids, they'll never amount to anything."

Rita nodded. "Yeah, especially with all the bad things he's done. Could it be because he doesn't have kids that he's so reckless? If I had kids, I'd think it through before doing anything bad. What if karma is real? What if it comes back to my kids? I'd rather suffer myself than let my child suffer!"

Vince nodded. "That's the sentiment of parents everywhere."

"What about you, Karen? Do you think the same way?" Rita suddenly turned to Karen, but she seemed lost in thought.

She was thinking about what Vince had said. 'Did Esmond really not think about me and Sadie before he acted? Sadie was only eight years old when he left us. He couldn't have forgotten he had an eight-year-old daughter when he was out there living on the streets, could he?'

Karen touched her stomach instinctively. She went through a tough pregnancy when she had Sadie, and the labor took 24 hours. Even though Sadie was born a girl, Karen did not mind, since her marriage with Esmond was a happy one then. However, as Esmond lost one job after another, he suddenly became a different person-one that was prone to violence and abuse.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2917-Karen stayed in the marriage and endured the abuse day in and day out for Sadie's sake. She did consider running away with her daughter, but she knew that once captured, she would be subjected to even harsher beatings. Thus, she lost the ability to fight back and no longer dared to escape.

Karen never imagined Esmond's departure would be so abrupt at the time. It was as if he had an awakening and took all the cash from the house before leaving their world. At that time, Karen often wondered if Esmond had died somewhere. Otherwise, he would not have spared her and her daughter so easily.

Then, she realized he was probably fighting for territory with other thugs on the streets.

Karen felt contempt at the time. Esmond's life amounted to nothing more than earning money through force. She would never touch that kind of money. The last time she contacted him was because she could not think of any other way to deal with Rita, only for that brat to escape again.

Esmond had called a few times afterward, but she did not answer as she did not want to give him any hope that their relationship could be rekindled. To Esmond, their shared past was one of immaturity, but to Karen, it was a complete nightmare. She never wanted to return to that man's side again.

"Karen? Karen!"

Rita called out several times before Karen seemed to hear her. "Oh, what's the matter?"

Rita asked her, "Are you unwell? I called you several times, but you didn't respond. I thought something was wrong."

Karen smiled weakly. "Maybe it's because I didn't sleep well last night..."

Upon hearing that Karen had not slept well the night before, Vince immediately stood up and helped her up, saying, "Let me take you upstairs to rest for a bit. I'll also call the doctor to come and check on you."

"It's nothing serious. I just didn't sleep well last night, so it's only natural I'll feel tired right now. Besides, I haven't even finished eating," said Karen.

Rita could only detect the sweetness in her words. Regardless, her father did indeed know how to take care of a pregnant woman.

Just the thought that her father and mother had once eagerly anticipated her birth made Rita feel a bit lonely. Times had changed, and the makeup of the family members changed.

In such moments, she missed Sherman especially. She did not need him to say anything or comfort her. Just having him by her side was enough to heal her.

However, one thing was confirmed during lunch for Rita-Esmond's influence on Karen was significant. Every time Karen heard Esmond's name, she would drift off and forget all about putting on a facade. This was unlike her usual self. Lately, Sadie had been going out frequently, and from what her father hinted, it was not just once. With such frequency, Rita could not help but feel that something was amiss.

Just as Rita was thinking about Sherman, his call came. She answered the phone with a pleasantly surprised expression.

"Have you finished lunch with your family yet?" asked Sherman coldly.

Rita glanced at the empty table and replied cutely, "I'm not sure whether lunch is finished... Either way, I'm the only one left at the table."

Sherman frowned. "What? Are you saying that your family doesn't even want to have a meal with you

now?"

"It's not that. It's just that Karen suddenly said she didn't sleep well last night. Dad was worried about the baby in her belly, so he quickly put down everything and took her upstairs. He even called the family doctor."Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

Vince scoffed lightly. "Looks like your father really cares about the baby in her belly,"

Rita nodded. "Yeah. Dad is hoping for a baby boy."

Sherman could not understand the thoughts of these old men or why they cared so much about whether the baby turned out to be a boy or a girl.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2919-Sherman had memorized Rita's schedule. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Rita would visit her father. She persisted in visiting even though it was difficult to get more clues from Karen. Thus, Sherman chose to pick her up from her father's home to take her out for dinner or somewhere else, to cheer her up. "Yes, I'm going back today. I'll text you after I finish eating," said Rita.

"Okay, but text me when you're about to finish eating. I'll come over immediately."

"No. I'll be driving today, so just send me your location. I'll meet you there."

"That works, too."

They did not immediately hang up the phone after making their plans. Listening to each other's shallow breaths through the phone, Rita felt that she was one step closer to happiness. "I'm going to start driving now, so let's hang up, okay?"

Sherman replied, "No, let's keep it this way. I won't bother you."

Thus, Rita did not hang up the phone. While she was driving, they occasionally exchanged a few words. It was just a phone call, but both of them were content.

The Russells' estate was originally located in a remote area to showcase their status. It was quiet, surrounded by several households of similar status.

However, Rita never expected that on this familiar route home, several cars would rush out and block her path.

She quickly hit the brakes. She felt stricken with fear and uncertainty as a man approached her car window. Sherman, hearing the commotion from the other end of the phone, asked, "What's happening?"

"I don't know. There are a lot of people getting out of cars and surrounding mine. But I didn't rear-end anyone, and they were the ones who blocked my way. What should I do?"

Rita did not think too much about it. She just assumed she ran into a scam, but Sherman quickly realized something was wrong. "Don't roll down the window, whatever you do! They're probably there to settle a score with you or something similarly dangerous!"

It was only then Rita realized the danger she was in. She wanted to see the license plate of the car in front, but unfortunately, it was at an angle that was difficult to see. Moreover, it was evident the men were not good people as they wore masks and mostly black clothing in broad daylight.

"Do they have any distinguishing features?"

As soon as Sherman's words fell, the sound of glass shattering came from the phone. His grip tightened, and he immediately stood up from the sofa.

"Rita? Rita!"

"Ah! What do you want? Who are you people?" Rita kept screaming. Perhaps it was her luck that the assailants did not notice that she was on the phone with Sherman.

However, these people were well-trained and did not make a sound. They opened the car door through the broken window and ruthlessly dragged Rita out.

"Do you want money? I have money. My house is right ahead. Let me go back, and I promise to give you whatever amount you ask for!" rambled Rita, sending Sherman's heart racing.

Why would Rita run into robbers on her way back home?

Sherman held his breath, afraid to make a sound and disturb the situation on the other end. He would lose his only chance to collect clues if that were to happen.

However, no matter how cautiously he acted, he was eventually discovered. All he heard was a mocking laugh from the other side, followed by the call being abruptly disconnected.

When Sherman tried calling again, he receive

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2920-Sherman quickly scrolled through his phone and dialed Vince's number, which had been blocked.

Vince was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper, which reported another world record broken by the Parr family. He was sour about it when Sherman suddenly called. He immediately sat up and answered the call happily.

"Hello, Sherman. To what do I owe this pleasure? Are you coming over with Rita to have dinner with us?"

Sherman did not have time for pleasantries. "Rita is in trouble. Something happened on her way home!"

"What?" Vince exclaimed. "You must be joking, right? She's used this road countless times, so how could something happen? Maybe you just couldn't reach her because she had switched off her phone or it ran out of battery..."

After the initial panic, Vince calmed down and sat back down on the sofa, trying to reassure both himself and Sherman on the phone. "Don't worry. We've traveled this road back and forth countless times, and there's also a security patrol, so I'm sure she's fine."

Sherman frowned. "I just talked to her on the phone. I clearly heard that something happened, and someone turned off her phone. It's been about half an hour since she left work, and she might be close to your place already. You need to go out now and check her car!"

Vince still had doubts about what Sherman was saying. How could something happen right at his doorstep? He dawdled for a moment, but Sherman's voice grew more serious. "Don't you want to get more money from me? You can stay put in your house if that's the case."

Without giving Vince a chance to take back his words, Sherman hung up the phone.

'If that old man had any sense in him, he would've realized that the most important thing at this moment was to go out and check if Rita was still there. I'm going to make the entire Russell family pay if anything happens to Rita!' thought Sherman.

Sherman rubbed his temple to stave off a headache before getting up to ask Lucy to contact the thugs he had under his command. He did not call the police. After all, it had not been more than 10 minutes since Rita disappeared. He had witnessed the incident himself and needed to go to the scene quickly to see what had happened and gather some evidence.

Vince looked shocked when he heard the busy tone on the phone. 'Did that brat really hang up on me? How dare he treat his father-in-law with such disrespect? This is simply unacceptable!"

He smashed his phone on the sofa, but as he walked away in a huff, he remembered Sherman's warning.

'It sounds like Sherman knows what the situation in our family is. Could it be that he really has feelings for Rita now? Otherwise, why would he say I shouldn't expect to get any money from him anymore if something were to happen to Rita?'

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Thus, he quickly sprang into action. He grabbed his phone, and walked toward the door.

At that moment, Karen pushed open the door to the study and saw him hastily putting on his coat, so she intercepted him. "Are you going out now? It's almost time for dinner, and Rita will be home soon."

Karen was not trying to be paranoid, but she was pregnant, so she had to be cautious about Vince cheating on her. After all, she did not believe he was the type of man who would abstain from adultery for her sake.

Vince pushed her hand away. "Sherman called and said Rita's in trouble, so I'm going to check on her, see if she's anywhere on the way back."

d an automated message saying that the phone had been switched off.