It was a night of beauty, comfort, and tenderness. Two silhouettes embraced each other in the night as they kissed.Even John needed a long time to recover. For a long while, he allowed Cordy to brush her lips and tongue against his, nervously and clearly without experience.He gulped, slowly raising his long, large hands to gather her dainty, warm body firmly into his embrace.He then leaned downward and kissed her even more fiercely.At that very moment, everything else seemed to turn dull. In mind and body, there was only the two of them as they melted deeply into each other.Cordy's knees then started to cave, actually going weak from John's kiss.His strong arms promptly picked her up and off the beach as if she were just a child, and while she was still startled, he put her whole body on the dining table.He then leaned in for another kiss, denying her any chance to breathe, assaulting her lips persistently and tirelessly… The night seemed to turn darker just then, e
Standing ashore, Cordy called out, "John!"John went up to the surface then, having already taken off his tuxedo. The white shirt underneath was soaked through and glued to his body, clearly accentuating his muscular form."Can you come ashore now?" Cordy asked."Almost," he replied. "Come here," she told him, offering a hand to pull him out.Nonetheless, he said, "You shouldn't touch me right now, Ms. Sachs."Cordy's fingers twitched, understanding what he was hinting at."I can get out myself," he added, stepping out of the ocean. The water was a little cool in the night, and John's body clearly felt cold after he got to the beach.A breeze swirled over him and he sneezed, looking quite the mess just then.Cordy could not help giggling at the sight, and he growled grumpily, "Whose fault is this, I wonder?""Come on. Let's go back inside," she said, clearly in a good mood.With that, she followed him back to the ocean villa.He was planning to go straight to his room fo
Cordy and John ultimately boarded their flight back to North City, arriving at 3 PM North City time.Since neither of them had slept well last night, they were slumbering on the private jet all the way home, and they were spirited once they disembarked.John's black Maybach was already waiting by the plane after their flight touched down with Randy standing beside it, receiving them respectfully.Opening the door for them, he said, "Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Levine."Mrs. Levine…Cordy's cheeks turned red, but she followed John into the car anyway.Randy rode shotgun and began to list John's schedule for the day, "Sir, since we've postponed three dinners for your seven-day trip, I've arranged them for later tomorrow night and on the two following nights respectively per your instructions." "Good," John replied. "Also, we'll be seeing many important guests during the Levine Ventures anniversary banquet tonight. Your grandfather specifically asked me to remind you to be there
Minor disturbances in the banquet hall would never affect that many people, which was why Cordy's arrival did not affect anyone by much. Still, the crowd's eyes would be drawn to her golden silhouette, though they only allowed their eyes to linger for just a moment before turning away. At the moment, they would rather spend every second they had mingling with the rich and powerful individuals present.As for Cordy, she headed over to an unnoticeable corner and waited there. She recognized a couple of faces, though she wondered if everyone who came today were not from North City since there were plenty of people she did not recognize.Naturally, that was not her priority either—she was keeping an eye out for Richard. She certainly missed the boy after being apart for so long.But as she scanned the crowd that was constantly on the move, a man's voice she did not recognize spoke beside her ear. "Cordy Sachs?"Cordy turned toward the man. She found him familiar, but could not quit
Nonetheless, Cordy was glaring coolly at Bryson.She considered him no more than a passing acquaintance and did not expect him to be such a creep."Anyone who can attend Levine Ventures' anniversary celebration tonight is either rich or powerful!" Bryson continued smugly."So?" Cordy asked in return."So I'm above the rest!" Bryson snapped angrily, his voice getting ever louder.Cordy smiled sarcastically—this was genuinely amusing. "Am I not here?" she asked.Bryson was taken aback, but since he could tell that Cordy was mocking him, he quickly tried to puff himself up with a sense of accomplishment. "You're just benefiting from your connection to Sachs Enterprises. On the other hand, I was personally invited.""In that case, do you see a single member of the Sachs family around here?" Cordy asked.It was not only the Sachs either—the Jessops were nowhere to be seen, and they had every reason to be invited given their status in North City. And if invited, they would be her
Bryson could see Cordy's contempt, and he scowled as he continued, "You have to understand that your hype is only temporary, Cordy. Your past remains a mess, and people will continue to belittle you once your hype passes. You should be pleased that I don't hold it against you.""Mr. Zimmer, do you mean to say that if I start dating you, you can use your position to ensure that my company develops unimpeded in North Cty?" Cordy asked.Bryson grinned. "Exactly. You're the one who gets the better end of the deal if we start dating—"The man standing behind him finally had enough. "Mr. Zimmer."Bryson promptly turned to find Randy standing behind him, and his expression promptly changed—high and mighty just a second before, he was now fawning and eager to please. "Oh, Mr. Martin! Hello, hello!" Bryson exclaimed, extending a hand.Everyone in Levine Ventures certainly understood that Randy was John's personal assistant and basically his second-in-command. There was none who did not
Naturally, Randy was under orders from John to help Cordy, since John was too busy to see to it himself.Even so, he was watching from above until the matter was resolved.But just as he left, Cordy blinked—the woman who had been standing next to John turned to look at her too.There was neither hostility nor friendliness in her gaze, and it looked like a brief, nonchalant glance.However, Cordy's intuition was tingling spontaneously. -The banquet hall was getting even more lively, and at 8 PM, the host of the celebration showed up.Alan was saved by a hair's breadth after the death of his son and daughter-in-law, but he was crippled since and was wheelchair-bound.Cordy suddenly remembered what John had told her on their trip to Ayro Island. At the time, he was so nonchalant when he spoke of what befell his family back then and the pressure that was thrown on him afterward. It must have been hard on him at the time, and Cordy's heart ached for him.That was when she saw J
A man like Alan, who had weathered his fair share of trials and tribulations, would not usually be shaking with excitement like that. Everyone was certainly interested, just as he spoke determinedly with great vigor. "My grandson will be formally engaged to Jessica Stuart, heiress of Stuart Holdings!"Every guest was left in shock—there was no question that it was a big deal.It already went without question that John would inherit Levine Ventures, even if no one had expected it to be this early. On the other hand, no one would have expected John to be engaged to Jessica Stuart, the heiress to Rocktown's most important family! Ever since John returned to the Zidonia, countless heiresses were getting restless, eager to get a shot at marrying him… only for this to happen?!At the same time, Jessica was getting onstage at Alan's kindly beckoning. She was wearing a pink gown that was attractive instead of tacky and not too reserved either. The tiny diamonds refracted a myriad ra
Soon, another nurse emerged from the delivery room with a small bundle. "Is the mother's family here?""Yes!" John exclaimed loudly."The delivery was successful," the nurse said. "The baby weighs eight pounds—""How is she?" John asked in agitation, not caring about the child."She's fine. The doctor is just helping her clean up and she'll be out soon," the nurse replied.As John breathed a sigh of relief, the nurse reminded him, "Aren't you the father? Here's your child."John took the baby off her arms, staring at her for a moment as the others flocked around him. "Oh, she's so fair!" Zoe could not help exclaiming. "That's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.""Are you saying that your son's ugly?" Bob teased."To be honest, yeah," Zoe replied without thinking.Jay cleared his throat—even if it was a subjective opinion, it still hurt to have his own baby called ugly."Let me carry her," Zoe volunteered just then, and John did not hesitate to hand her his baby.As Zoe
"What?!" Zoe exclaimed in shock.Beside them, John's face fell despite being usually stoic.Still, even before anyone could react, he scooped Cordy up in his arms and left.Zoe did not hesitate to follow, but Jay reminded her, "We're the hosts, Zoe.""Don't care." Zoe was completely unconcerned. "Ask my mom and your sister to handle the guests. I'm going with Cordy!"Jay hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow since there was no reasoning with Zoe.Sam and Quinn also realized that something was out of place.As they pulled away reluctantly, Bob shouted from below, "If you're done kissing, we're going to the hospital! Cordy's going into labor!"Quinn hurried after them as soon as she hurt, but Sam caught her. "Slow down. We can catch up."In fact, most of the guests were leaving as well—it was as if the banquet for Zoe's son was actually intended for everyone else.The poor boy was certainly unlucky to have such unreliable parents!-As everyone rushed to the hospit
"I'm swelling from my pregnancy," Quinn explained. "It's not your fault."Sam was left staring at her for a while before asking, "So, what should I do?""I'll put it on when I slim down.""Oh." Sam was a little disappointed, since he had always dreamed of having her put on the ring he had custom made.But this was fine—they had all the time they needed, and the most important thing for him is that Quinn was marrying him!He rose to his feet just then, and everyone was cheering as soon as he did. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"Quinn blushed right then, and Sam could see that she was embarrassed.He did not want to make things awkward for her, even if he was quite eager at the moment.Heaven knows how much he missed that night's drunken fumble they had. In fact, during the times he remembered it in dreams, he had to wash his pants when he woke up.Still, just as he took Quinn's hand and started to leave, he felt a softness on his lips—Quinn was kissing him! Sam's heart pounded thunderous
Everyone waited patiently for the final outcome.Quinn's eyes were welling up with tears, threatening to gush if she so much as blinked.She did her best to hold back her tears—to be strong!Sam pursed his lips in turn, his Adam's apple bobbing.A long while passed, and it felt like a century for Quinn when she finally heard him say, "Yes."Quinn's tears started falling in happiness as Sam declared loudly, "I'll marry you, Quinn—it's what I've always wanted to do! I won't let you go even if you regret it eventually! You only get to be with me, and I'll never let any other man claim you! I'll become very overbearing… eventually!""I won't regret it," Quinn said, determined.She certainly would not regret marrying him!Zoe walked up to them with perfect timing just then, and Sam did a double take.He finally remembered that Zoe was the host of this luncheon and was going to leave with Quinn when Zoe whipped out a small red velvet box."You know what's in here, don't you?" Zoe a
However, Sam had already pushed Quinn away before she could tell him. But even if he did not love her or did not want to be with her, she would never stay with Ryan.She had been disappointed in Sam, wondering why he would give up so easily.Was she that unimportant to him?Therefore, if it were not for Zoe and Cordy showing her that video or telling her so much, she would never have known that he loved her for years…Sam's heart ached even as he looked into Quinn's tearful eyes.He reached out a hand, but soon withdrew it—would he not burden her?Even so, it hurt to restrain himself as he watched her, and he was actually getting the feeling that Quinn loved him…But she already had Ryan's child…Well, he was fine with that, as long as the child was Quinn's.But would she not mind?"I will marry you, Sam," Quinn said slowly and clearly then. "Not because you're a good man, not because you prepared so much for me, and not because of how much you prepared for me, but because I
Everyone in the hall was staring at Sam and Quinn, while Quinn took center stage, staring fixedly at Sam.He stood in the middle of the crowd, watching her silently.She in turn felt fear that he would turn and leave, just as she did not know if she had the courage to stand before him again and to declare her feelings for him in front of so many others.Nonetheless, amid the deafening silence, Sam suddenly walked toward the stage.His pace was slow as if his feet were made of lead, but he was also unusually determined.Quinn's heart raced uncontrollably right then!Everyone else was watching them nervously, especially Cordy and Zoe, with the latter being especially concerned that the cowardly Sam would bail.Fortunately, he was a man who showed responsibility. He would not leave Quinn alone and embarrassed.Hence, as everyone looked on, Sam stood before Quinn, his gaze flickering as their eyes met.He gulped ever so slightly, his emotions clearly ruffled even as he did his bes
The guests were encouraging, loudly asking, "Why?!""Because of a woman," Sam's recording replied."Who is it?""Quinn Summer," the Sam on the screen said slowly and clearly, leaving the Sam who was in the hall stunned.What the hell?! That was the proposal video he prepared before! Why did it show up here? Did Zoe make a mistake?!He knew it—leave anything to Zoe, and she would mess it up!He started striding toward the stage, intent on stopping the recording, when John and Bob intercepted him with a look of utter guilt while the recording continued. "Quinn is my wife, and we've been married for years, but I've never really loved her—not because I don't, but because I'm afraid to. I feel too insignificant in comparison to the one she loves, so I'd always hurt her… painfully and childishly. I regret that so much now, Quinn. How could I have abandoned you for so long because of my own jealousy? I'd rather hold you in my sleep every night, but my damned pride denied me that for y
At the banquet hall, Jay and Zoe were thanking their guests with their children in their arms.Then, Zoe announced excitedly, "Please give my best friend, who is also my son's godmother, a warm applause as she comes on stage!"Sam stood at a corner of the hall, watching as Quinn walked up the stage, only realizing just then that her belly was clearly swelling despite her baggy clothes.Time flies—he had not left that long ago, but she and Ryan already had a child.She was not worried about giving him a stroke, was she?He watched as Quinn took the mic and looked around below searching, seemingly searching.After a while, he thought she was looking at him, but by the time he looked up, she had already turned away.Maybe she was looking for Ryan before remembering that Ryan was not there?Nonetheless, Quinn spoke into the mic, saying, "I'm honored to be chosen as the godmother to Zoe's son, and she's been saying he'd be engaged to my child if it's a girl. I already love my godson
As their eyes met, Sam turned frantic and averted his. "Of course.""Really?" Quinn asked."Would I lie to you?" Sam asked a little grumpily."And you didn't bring her back?" Quinn asked."I'm on a schedule, and it'd be taxing for her if I bought her along," Sam said, making things up as he went along. "I'll bring her along when things are less busy.""Is she pretty?" Quinn pressed."What, have I ever picked an ugly one?" Sam snorted smugly. "You know I prefer curvaceous types, and there are plenty of those abroad.""Do you have a photo?"Sam was silent for a while and eventually said, "Yeah.""Can I see it?""What, does she have to pass your assessment?""Just curious about the girl who can tempt you to settle down," Quinn replied. "You'd be humbled." Sam hastily came up with an excuse."I won't," Quinn said, determined."You'll see her when I bring her home." Sam refused nonetheless."I would like to see a photo now.""No, she's not that photogenic. It'd be slander a