Ch. 2931..2938: [Finale]

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2931-"Yes, it's true I met up with my biological father, but it was just a one-time thing. I don't want to go back to him at all! Otherwise, I would've done it ages ago. Dad, I'm really grateful to you for taking me in and looking after me all these years. That's why I feel like you're my real father, even more real than those who share the same blood.

"How could you unjustly accuse me and Mom like that? Sherman is the one spouting nonsense here. He's trying to push all the blame onto us. Dad, you have to wake up and see the truth!"

Karen nodded along, but her heart was racing. 'When did Sadie meet Esmond? How did Sherman know when I don't even know? Seems like Sadie does have something to do with Rita's kidnapping. I have to settle things and get Sherman out of here.'

Karen never had the thought of rekindling her relationship with Esmond. The only thing she wanted then was to peacefully give birth to her son. Everything in the Russell family would eventually go to her son, and she would be able to enjoy a peaceful old age. That dream was on the brink of shattering because of Sadie's doing!

As skepticism clouded Vince's mind, Sherman tactfully reminded him, "Vince, I have no idea how many times Sadie has met with her biological father, but I did catch her at it one time. I happen to have the surveillance footage in my possession. Feel free to have a look at it if you want. After watching it, you'll know if I'm telling the truth or not."

Rita's whereabouts were still unknown, so Sherman did not have time to waste with this family anymore. With a wave of his hand, two burly men stepped forward to restrain Sadie.

She screamed, "Let me go! What are you doing?!"

Karen rushed forward, but as a pregnant woman, she stood no chance against the two towering bodyguards. Out of consideration for her unborn baby, they did not lay a hand on Karen, but their mere presence was enough to force her back.

Vince hurriedly pulled Karen aside. "You're carrying a child. Can't you be more careful?"

Karen turned and shook his arm. "Hurry, make Sherman let Sadie go! How could he treat Sadie like this? She's been pampered like a princess ever since she moved in here... How will she be able to endure this?"

"Yes, pampered like a princess by the Russell family, yet she had the nerve to hurt Rita! Vince, if I were you, I wouldn't do what your wife said. You must have doubts in your mind too, right? Whether or not Sadie has anything to do with Rita's kidnapping? I'll bring Sadie back if she has nothing to do with it. Take her away, boys!"

Upon hearing Sherman's command, the two burly men took Sadie to another room in the mansion. Two groups of bodyguards immediately stood guard inside and outside of the room.

Sherman was sure that Sadie would quickly confess under such a condition. He did not go inside the room himself as he did not want to watch the interrogation. Instead, he sat back down on the soda. He even casually invited Vince and Karen to sit with him.

Karen trembled with fear when she heard Sadie's screams coming out of the room.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2932-"Sherman raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a minor injury, maybe just a finger. There shouldn't be any major issues. A sprained joint takes only a hundred days to heal, and it might take her even less time to heal if you take very good care of her while she's recuperating."

Karen's heart ached upon hearing that. She lunged toward Sherman, wanting to hit him, but the bodyguards stopped her before she could get close.

Vince, still worried, held Karen tightly beside him. "Calm down. I'm sure Sadie will come out unharmed if Rita's kidnapping has nothing to do with her. But if it does, then you should know very well that..."

Vince's voice dropped an octave. He could not believe his daughter's disappearance had anything to do with his stepdaughter. However, he was not utterly naive.

He continued, "How could a girl like her take Rita away? Even the car window was smashed. Others must've been involved. Does her biological father have anything to do with it?"

Sherman nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, it is just as you suspected. Karen, if you're smart, you'd call Esmond now. I know you don't want to get back with him, but he does. I hope you can convince him to let Rita go. Otherwise, whatever he does to Rita, your daughter will end up with the same fate. I suggest you think about this carefully."

Sherman raised his hand, and a bodyguard handed Karen's phone to her. She looked at it with terror. She did not even know when someone even retrieved her belongings, including her phone. It seemed Sherman had come prepared. He would not stop at anything until he got news of Rita's safety.

Meanwhile, another scream came from the room, and Karen could not hesitate any longer. She grabbed the phone and dialed the number saved in it. Vince quietly observed the call log, noting the number two appended to it. Obviously, this was not the first time she had called that Esmond guy.

Vince did not react immediately but silently noted this.

Esmond, preoccupied with the task Sadie had given him to do, was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from Karen. He happily answered as he moved to a quiet area.

"Hello, Karen. Everything alright? Why are you calling?"

Karen, fearing he might say too much, quickly interrupted him. "Is Rita with you?"

Esmond had promised to get rid of Rita as per his daughter's request, so how could he let Rita's whereabouts leak? He hesitated for a moment before he replied, "What are you talking about? How would I even know Rita? Did she say something about me?"

"Don't try to fool me!" Karen shouted in frustration. "I'll have you know Sadie's life is in danger right now. You might never get to see her again if you don't tell me where Rita is!"

"That's impossible. Isn't Sadie safely back at home?" interjected Esmond sharply. "Why would she be in danger? You shouldn't joke like this with me. I know it was wrong of me to treat you and her badly in the past, but you never gave me the chance to make it up to you two. How could I not help Sadie when she finally asked me to? You should give me a chance too."

Karen inhaled sharply. 'So Rita's kidnapping does have something to do with him!'

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2933-Karen wanted so badly to slap Esmond through the phone.

'What good are his pompous words now? We wouldn't be in this mess now if he hadn't hit me back then! What's more, he's saying he's doing this for Sadie. But has he ever thought of what would happen to me and Sadie if he got rid of Rita? Rita's the heiress of the Russell family. Not to mention, she's married to Sherman, so that makes her owner of Parr Group too! What makes Esmond think he can get rid of Rita so easily?'

Karen's breath was ragged as she said, "If you don't believe me, just listen to your daughter's screams. I can't save her now; you will literally decide her fate! Plus, I'm pregnant with Vince's baby, so even if I lose Sadie, I still have a kid-which is more than what I can say about you!"

Sherman could not help but be impressed by Karen a little. Even in this dire situation, she did not forget to express her heartfelt feelings to Vince, letting him know that she was always on his side. It was certainly not an easy thing to do.

Esmond was frantic on the other end of the phone. He obviously heard Sadie's screams coming through the receiver. How did things come to this? Sadie was fine when she left him. Plus, how could Karen do nothing while her own daughter was being tortured?

"What are you doing? Are you using Sadie to threaten me? Can't you make those people stop torturing Sadie? How can you call yourself a mother when you can't even do that?"

"I could say the same about you! How could you call yourself a father? You think you're helping her, but you're actually harming her. Release Rita now, and let this be the end of it. If Sadie ever asks you for anything else, just ignore her. We'll pretend we never knew you. Stop interfering with our lives, Esmond!"

Karen's words struck Esmond.

He finally understood. Their relationship had ended the moment he left. The moment she became Vince's wife, she was no longer tied to him. What did it matter if they had a daughter together?

Sadie's surname had changed to Russell, too. She was raised in the Russell family and had nothing to do with Esmond.

Feeling despondent, he said, "Can't this be the last thing I do for my daughter?"

Karen immediately panicked. She did not want him to do something rash to Rita. "There's nothing I can do to save Sadie right now. Her life is in your hands. Just tell me where Rita is. I promise Sadie will be thankful to you for saving her life."

Sherman anxiously awaited Esmond's response. Luckily, Esmond was not too stubborn and eventually revealed Rita's location. Without wasting a second, Sherman led his men straight to that location. He also informed the police to apprehend the perpetrators.

Karen quickly stumbled toward the wooden door as soon as she saw the bodyguards had left. However, when she opened it, she found Sadie tied up with her mouth gagged.

'If her mouth was gagged, then who screamed?' thought Karen with fear. She quickly rushed forward and removed the cloth covering Sadie's mouth.

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2936-With that, Karen left without looking back. She was carrying Vince's baby in her womb, so how could she pin all her hopes on Sadie? Since Sadie was obviously unruly, she would have to rely on her son.

'Sadie can spend the rest of her life with Esmond since she likes him so much. God knows it had been exhausting enough to raise her. Plus, it's only fair for Esmond to take care of her since I've done my part taking care of her until now,' thought Karen.

Meanwhile, the only consolation for Sherman was that Esmond did not try to put up a fight. It seemed that he still cared about his daughter Sadie.

Sherman led his men to a dilapidated house. Esmond had been cautious enough to choose a rundown house situated at the end of a village.

When Sherman barged in, he found Rita lying on the floor while Esmond's men ignored her. Esmond's men had followed his orders, and since he did not instruct them to do anything to Rita, they left her well alone.

Before the men could react, they were surrounded by a large group of police officers. It was truly a case of loss outweighing the gain.

Rita had clung to the belief that someone would come to save her, but she grew disheartened as time went on. Although Esmond's men did not drug her, she could feel her consciousness fading.

In the haze of her consciousness, she felt Sherman had come to save her, but upon closer listening, it was just the distant roar of a car on the road.

She sighed inwardly. She would have told Sherman her feelings long ago if she had known that this would be her end.

In fact, she had wanted to tell Sherman that she liked him, even more than he could imagine. However, due to issues with her family, she had never been able to say it. It was only when she did not know whether she would make it out of the kidnapping alive that she truly regretted it.

Unfortunately, it was all too late. While it was true she did not confess her feelings due to family reasons, it was not like her family could trap her forever.

'Why couldn't I have been braver?' she lamented.

Sherman had given her so many chances. Every time he took her out to find good food and saw her relaxed smile, he could not bear to pressure her.

It was precisely because Sherman could not bear to pressure her that she took advantage of his affection, retreating time and time again. She was just too afraid.

A tear slid down Rita's cheek, dampening the dusty floor beneath her.

"Rita! Rita, please wake up."

Rita looked at the approaching Sherman. He gently held up her neck with both hands.

"I'm not dreaming, am I? You… You're here to rescue me."

Sherman almost cried when he saw her in this state. "No, you're not dreaming. I'm here to save you."

However, Rita was still lost in confusion, unable to distinguish between reality and dream. "I … I know I won't be able to make it out of this alive. I should've confessed to you."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2937-"Sherman, I like you. I love you," Rita finally confessed.

Sherman, deeply pained, pulled Rita into his arms. "This is all my fault. I should've looked for you quicker. I've never blamed you. All I want is to see you smile. It's enough for me as long as you're willing to let me stay by your side.

"You don't have to confess to me. I know it's hard for you to do that because of your family. I've seen the way they've treated you, and…"

The bodyguards who had barged in with Sherman felt a bit awkward to see their company president in tears. However, the priority was to get Rita to the hospital for a check-up. Being tied up for hours could cause circulation issues, and it could be dangerous if her limbs did not regain feelings soon.

In the end, they got the bravest among them to convince Sherman to let them take Rita to the hospital. Instead of letting them do it, Sherman wiped away his tears and, with ease, lifted Rita as if she was as light as a feather.

Fortunately, after the hospital check-up, Rita was found to be in sound health-apart from feeling emotionally drained. Additionally, the dampness of the place had caused her to catch a chill.

Sherman remained by Rita's side and held her hand. That way, he would be able to sense as soon as Rita woke up.

By midnight, Rita regained consciousness. She watched Sherman sleeping peacefully by her bedside, not wanting to disturb this moment of tranquility. However, Sherman woke up soon after.

He looked at Rita, who had regained consciousness, with great joy. He discreetly rang her bedside bell to summon someone to check on Rita's condition. Doctors and nurses hurriedly came and went, instructing Rita to rest and assuring her that she would recover with time.

Rita looked at Sherman with a gentle smile even after everyone had left, which brought tears to his eyes.

"I'm so relieved. When I was lying on that cold floor, I kept thinking I might not even get to see you again. I never thought I'd come out of it all alive. Thank you, Sherman, for saving me. If it weren't for you, I might have"

Sherman pressed his finger to Rita's lips to stop her from talking.

"Grandma has been here, just so you know," he said. "She told me to take you to the church after you're discharged. Maybe you're just experiencing an unlucky year, which is why so many accidents happened to you."

Rita looked surprised. "How did Grandma know what happened to me? Does that mean everyone in the family knows?"

Sherman was delighted to hear Rita referring to his family as her family too. He smiled and said, "Of course they knew. And hey, it's only natural for them to come to see you in the hospital since you're their granddaughter-in-law. Thankfully, you're okay, so I sent them back while I stay here to keep you company."

Sherman then sat on the edge of her bed, taking her hands and planting a gentle kiss on them. "I'm glad I arrived in time. You have no idea how my heart nearly stopped when I saw you lying on the ground like that. You scared me.

"From now on, I won't allow you to take on dangerous cases again. You don't need to look into Esmond either."

Rita asked softly, "Was it Esmond who kidnapped me?"

Sherman nodded. "But Sadie was the mastermind behind the kidnapping. I never imagined her hatred toward you would reach such an extent, even instigating her father to harm you. It would've taken me a longer time to find you if I hadn't tricked him into believing that Sadie's life was in my hands."

The Day I Kissed An Older Man Chapter 2938-Sherman could not help but feel fearful when he recalled the incident.

Rita gently smoothed his furrowed brow. "I knew you'd come to rescue me, just like all the times you did. I love you, Sherman."

Previously, Rita confessed her love to him when she was groggy. At this moment, however, she was clearly awake, even sporting a faint smile on her face as she confessed.

Sherman immediately blushed. "I love you, too."

Rita did not stay long in the hospital; she quickly returned to the Parr family's mansion. Just as Sherman's grandparents had said, Rita did not have any major injuries, so there was no need for her to stay in the hospital that long. In fact, she might even recover faster emotionally under the care at home.

Not once did Sherman bring up Rita's job, but she surprisingly resigned from New Capital Times on her own accord. It would be difficult for her to investigate cases with her current condition; not to mention Sherman had handed over the evidence to the police. The police had effectively taken over the investigation.

Sherman was a bit surprised when he heard this news. Rita teasingly asked him, "Don't you want me to take a break and go on a honeymoon trip with you? Too bad, then. I was looking forward to it, too."

Sherman mentioned going on a honeymoon trip together openly and subtly countless times, but at that time, Rita still had a job to do. Thus, she could not give him a definite answer.

With her resignation, feeling much more relaxed with plenty of free time on her hands, she finally brought up the topic.

Sherman happily lifted Rita from the sofa and spun her around. "That's great!" He kissed Rita's cheek, making a loud smacking sound.

Rita felt a bit embarrassed and buried her head in his chest.

Rita never returned to her family home afterward. She knew her father did not care about her. She did not feel anything even as Sherman told her everything that had happened. She had long known her father was a man who valued his own interests above all else. Hearing that Karen had forced Sadie to live with Esmond was surprising but also predictable. "She's been planning to take over my dad's fortune for so many years, and now that I'm not going back either, she won't let her own daughter ruin her plans. Plus, the baby in her belly is a boy, which means he'll stand to inherit all of my dad's money. There's no way she'd let go of all that. Of course, all of this has nothing to do with us anymore."

Rita squeezed Sherman's hand, and the two of them affectionately rubbed their noses together. "Yes, none of them have anything to do with us anymore."

Additionally, Sadie never got to enjoy the good life the Russell family provided her anymore, owner.

especially since Esmond was imprisoned for a few years. Those years were even more difficult for her.

A year later, Rita gave birth to twins, which was a pleasant surprise. The elders in the family were thrilled, spending their days doting on the twins. Sherman affectionately nicknamed the twins 'Kom' and 'Pleet' which meant that meeting Rita made his life complete.

After the twins turned two, Rita returned to the workplace and resumed her career as a reporter. She loved this profession, and Sherman supported her career.

The family lived happily ever after.