Jackson furrowed his brow, “I’m on the way over. I just collected the car. Quit rushing me. Until the results arrive, I won’t ignore you. And don’t get all weepy!”He rushed all the way to the woman’s hotel then quickly scooped the baby into his arms and rushed to the hospital. As Jackson held the chubby little thing in his arms, he felt a strange kind of feeling — fear, absolute fear. There wasn’t a hint of sympathy at all. If he was the father of this child, he was dead!In the hospital hallway, Jackson sat silently on a long bench. His former bedmate stared at him with tears in her eyes, “Thank you for not ignoring us…”He refused to look at the woman and icily replied, “I’m not that inhumane. Since we’re here, let me tell you this — I want nothing to do with the child, even if it is mine. What do I have to do to make you disappear?”An almost indiscernible sense of mechanization flashed across the woman’s pretty face, “I understand. You’re with someone now, and I don’t think yo
At this point, she no longer dared to make a mistake. She feigned a calm outlook and wept pretentiously, “Do you really think that I want to stay here and suffer your humiliation? If you think that I like money that much, then just give it to me. I’ll leave at once. Like you, I don’t want to wait any longer either! Our son isn’t used to this place, and he’s sick. I’m hurting more than anyone else. If that’s how it’s going to be, I might as well speak to your girlfriend myself!”Before Jackson could retort, the emergency room doctor walked out, “I’m looking for this baby’s parents?”Georgina wiped off her tears and walked up to the doctor, “I’m his mother. How is my son? Is he alright?”“He’s suffering from acute gastroenteritis. It’s not too severe, but he’ll have to stay in the hospital for observation over the next two days. Pay close attention to his food intake and avoid solid food. Try to give him milk for now, no more solids,” the doctor explained to her in a formal manner.S
She waited for her son’s IV transfusion to complete, then carried him off, hailed a cab, and made her way to Arianne’s dessert shop. She had done her research long beforehand. As the ancient Chinese General Sun Tzu would say, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. She recognized Tiffany straight away from the moment she walked into the café. Women had accurate intuitions. In fact, her intuition was so accurate that she could pinpoint Jackson’s current girlfriend, simply based on intuition. She did not kick up a fuss all at once. Instead, she carried her child, found a table, and sat down. The baby was not feeling well, so he bawled the entire time. Naya had experience in child rearing, so she approached her and asked, “Need some help?”Georgina deliberately put on a weak and fragile expression on her face. She curled her lips in a frail manner, “I… It’s too hot outside… I just wanted to come inside to have a seat. My baby is sick, he’s so upset. I’m not h
Mark smirked, “Heh… You’re afraid that you might not get a single cent once the results are out, aren’t you?” A wave of panic flashed across Georgina’s eyes. She put on a calm facade and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never intended on making Jackson take responsibility, but reality has dealt me with a heavy blow. I’m a single mother, raising a child with no income. I have nowhere to go. I don’t want to disrupt his life either. He has refused to marry me and accept me and my baby, so money is the only thing I can get. I know that you’re both very powerful men, but you don’t have to push a weak woman like me around, right?”A thoughtful glint flashed across Mark’s eyes, “We don’t have to, and we won’t. Knowing Jackson, he would have been very generous with the child’s medical fees. You can leave with your son. Once the paternity results are released, you will be compensated appropriately, with not a single cent less. A word of advice — don’t ever show your face in f
Tiffany couldn’t shake the feeling that Jackson was lying to her, “You’re covering up for him. What do you mean by ‘you were not aware’? I’m sure you knew about this. Ari, get a divorce, right now. You can’t get past this!”Arianne nodded in agreement, “I kind of agree. Let’s just get a divorce…”Jackson was lamenting internally, “Enough. Both of you. Don’t start. I’ll speak to Mark myself. Don’t you need to manage your business? You two, stay right here!”“I’m sorry, Ari…” Naya apologized timidly after Jackson had left, “I had no idea that that woman was acquainted with your husband… I even helped carry her baby…”Arianne was feeling strangely delighted over having Mark take all of the blame. She was in a particularly good mood now, “It’s fine. Go back to work. I’m going back to the kitchen…” she replied in a sing-song voice. Naya was under the impression that she was simply putting on a brave front and that deep down, she was feeling extremely hurt. She furrowed her brows and f
Tiffany glared at Mark. Feeling a gaze on him, Mark looked up just as Arianne quickly pushed Tiffany into the kitchen. “Go help out!”Suddenly, Jackson’s phone, which was on the living room’s coffee table, rang. Mark picked it up for him; Summer’s loud voice came through the speaker. “You brat, what did you do with $150,000? I didn’t hear about the company needing funds recently, what did you spend it on? You aren’t up to no good, are you?”Mark pulled the device away from his ear, feeling his eardrums crying a little. “Mrs. West, it’s me, Mark. Jackson’s busy. I know about this. He isn’t spending it unnecessarily, so don’t you worry. He’s not a kid either, and $150,000’s not a lot.”When Summer heard Mark’s voice, her tone became much gentler. “Oh, it’s you, Mark… Sure, I’m at ease with you watching out for him. Isn’t he with Tiffany now? I’m just worried that he’s out with questionable women again. I can’t keep my rein on him usually. You’re his bro, help me out. You’re already marri
Upon receiving the text, Mark deleted it after reading it. Something improper like that did not have a place in his phone…He rolled up his sleeves to help Arianne with the dinnerware. When Arianne saw that he was actually getting to work, she quickly stopped him. “No need to help me. It’s just washing the dishes. You don’t know how to anyway…”Mark spoke seriously, “I can learn. I’m not that dumb. Just leave them to me.”Giving him the benefit of doubt, Arianne allowed him into the kitchen alone, checking in on him occasionally out of worry to make sure that he could really do a good job.The floral fragrance from the shelf spread into the house from the air conditioning. Looking at the overflowing roses at home, Arianne felt speechless. Mark had not listened to her; she had asked him not to send her flowers anymore, but he still sent her a bouquet every day. If this went on, she would run out of space at home to keep them, and the shop did not need that many flowers too.Mark’s phone
Her voice was muted by him.Arianne was unable to get herself out of his grasp. When Mark’s kisses moved to her ear, she blurted, “Are you sure you love me? Or do you just want to do it? Mark, if you really wanted to be together with me, you’d give me time to accept you and accept the past, not force me to do this all the time! For now, I can’t accept that I’m together with someone who caused my dad’s death!”Mark froze. “Will you accept me if I give you time then?”Arianne did not know the answer. If he gave her enough time, would she really be able to accept him and what had happened in the past? She thought that she was most likely unable to do it because every time she saw him, she thought about her father’s wronged death and found it difficult to let go. The person whom she had once thought of as the most important person became the person who caused her to lose everything. How could she let it past?Her silence unnerved Mark. “Speak up! Will you try to accept me if I give you tim