At midnight, the luxurious private room's door was pushed open, and the revelry inside continued unabated.When Steven entered, several business executives who had gotten in through Ethan’s connections immediately flocked to him to greet him.Ethan, somewhat intoxicated, said to those beside him, "See, I told you about Smith's Group CEO Steven. He wouldn't ignore me, right?"Steven glanced at the 36 missed calls on his phone that had practically forced him to come here.He had thought there was some emergency and reluctantly drove over, only to find it was just Ethan causing trouble.Steven, trying to contain his temper, resisted the urge to throw this troublemaker out.He nudged Ethan’s legs, sprawled in the way, with his toe. "You're not dead yet. I'll call someone to pick you up.""Steven, we've been playing together since we were kids. I’m the least successful among us. My father thinks I'm a screw-up and has stopped all my credit cards."Hearing this, Steven's eyes narrowed, and
Dawn Breaks BrightlyExhausted, Kimberly struggled to rise, propping a pillow under herself following online tutorials, aiming to increase her chances of pregnancy. Determined to achieve her goals, she had initially contemplated having a child to appease her grandfather but now considered it the best choice to have a child without marriage.She was pleasantly surprised to receive a message in the morning at her office from her close friend Evelyn announcing her return on the 19th. Kimberly had missed Evelyn deeply, not having seen her for two years. She immediately arranged for her assistant to clear her schedule for the 19th to welcome her friend.The assistant entered with a peculiar expression, hesitatingly informing Kimberly, "Ms Wilson, the chairman, is also returning this month."Kimberly was startled, asking in disbelief, "My grandfather is coming back this month. How come I wasn't informed?"Caught in a dilemma, the assistant revealed, "The chairman was furious upon hearing so
Ethan couldn't help but speak, "Steve, you're making it too obvious. If you want to coax your wife, do it at home. Are you two colluding to cheat at this game?"Instead of getting angry, Steven laughed and retorted, "Don't try to weasel out of it. Pay up."When Steven joked or got angry, he always had a carefree charisma, like the sun's full glory.Kimberly used to look up to him, loving his proud and unrestrained nature. Every action of his tugged at her heart, yet he never truly settled down for her, only wasting her time.Whenever she was about to give up, he would stir her emotions again. But this time was different from the past; she had been resolute, leaving no way back for herself.Kimberly's gaze turned cold. Without touching the food in the private room, she stood up and said to Evelyn, "I’m leaving first. I'll treat you tomorrow."Steven watched her leave, his smile fading and his brows furrowing as he stared at her slender figure disappearing outside the room.Ethan nudged
Kimberly stood up and approached the men for selection.Indeed, they were all of high quality, and she experienced the joy Steven must have felt at this moment.She realized how naive she had been before. Once someone has experienced such worldly pleasures, how can they return to their bland, unexciting life? She had been too demanding of him.She looked at one of the men, a handsome young guy with precise eyebrows and bright eyes, and asked, "Have you served other clients before?"His face blushed to the roots of his ears as he lowered his gaze and answered, "No.""Good, you're the one then. If you satisfy me, I'll double your pay."A fleeting joy crossed the young man's face. He hadn't expected to be chosen. He sneakily glanced at Kimberly's lovely face.His ears turned even redder. The girl standing before him was slender and tall with an excellent figure. She was stunningly beautiful, and her smile, with two shallow dimples at her lips, was enchanting – innocent and seductive. He
Kimberly is usually very gentle, especially when she smiles sweetly and soothingly. No one would guess that beneath her beautiful appearance, she harbors a rebellious heart, always enjoying going against others. Whatever you hope for, she works hard in the opposite direction, making every effort not to let you have your way. And once she gets angry, her words can infuriate people to spit blood.Steven feels that Kimberly would deserve a significant share of the credit if he ever dies of anger. They had only been apart briefly, and she was already coldly ignoring him and finding other men. Alright, very well, if it's a game she wants to play, then let's see who can play harder.Steven, unable to vent his anger elsewhere, furiously kicked the tire of his car. Still waiting for more, he called Adams, the club's owner.Upon seeing a call from his major shareholder, Adams answered jokingly and cheerfully, "Mr. Smith, what brings you to call me?"Steven, full of rage and with nowhere to ven
The next moment, his warm kiss landed on her forehead.A fleeting touch, his tone was gentle enough to melt winter snow. "I'll try to come back early tonight."Kimberly was slightly taken aback, perhaps still not fully awake. Hearing his gently coaxing voice, her heart skipped a beat.This man must have been professionally trained. His way of stirring emotions was indeed professional; she was almost swayed....When Samuel arrived at the company, the meeting had already started.Assistant Bill anxiously waited outside the meeting room.Seeing his boss finally appear, he almost cried with relief. Had he been any later, he didn't know how to face the directors in the large meeting room.The big screen is continuously refreshed with various data and charts. The room was so quiet, only the sound of flipping through slides and the occasional suppressed cough of his boss...After the meeting, John brought a stack of documents to be reviewed into the president's office.Seeing his boss, who
He had his assistant take her home after the last reception for the first time in many years. It was as if the sun had risen from the west.Although she disliked Samuel, she had to admit that he reached heights she couldn't match in business.Under his leadership, Garcia had made a qualitative leap. In just three years, he had propelled Garcia to new heights. It was said that last year alone, the revenue soared by 138% to 1.984 billion euros. Earlier this year, they even acquired the foreign jewelry brand Y&K.She admired Samuel's business talent but detested his arrogant, cold, and aloof temperament.Considering he had his assistant take her home last time, she intended to greet him, but Kimberly skipped it because he had no intention of speaking."Ding" - The elevator reached the ground floor.She proudly stepped out first in her high heels.As she passed the person beside her, who seemed to be searching for treasure with his head down, she muttered, "Seeing someone and still closin
Early morning.The cold winter wind swept away the heavy dusk, and the snow that had fallen all night had stopped, leaving behind crystalline frost on the windows, a stark contrast between the warmth inside and the cold outside.The abrupt sound of an alarm brutally woke Kimberly from her sleep.Reluctantly opening her eyes and preparing to get out of bed, Kimberly noticed that her ankle had been rebandaged, and he was already gone.It's said that bone injuries take a hundred days to heal. Although she had rested all night and the pain in her ankle had lessened, she still couldn't exert too much pressure on it.She had difficulty getting ready, and since she couldn't wear high heels with her injured foot, she switched to a pair of comfortable flats.Stepping outside, a blast of cold air hit her, catching her breath. The world outside was a blanket of white.Kimberly then remembered that she had been driving herself recently and had given Jimmy early leave for the New Year, letting him
This time was different from before. Kimberly decisively separated the business dealings between the Smith and Wilson families as clearly as possible.Unexpectedly, he encountered Kimberly at Club in the evening.She was followed by another man, who was carrying her coat. The club manager’s obsequious smile and attentiveness made it clear what that man's profession was.Kimberly, behind his back, had actually hired a male escort. Yes, it was such a slick-looking pretty boy. This realization instantly swept away all his rationality.At that moment, he finally realized how much he cared. Just seeing another man standing beside her filled him with unbearable jealousy, let alone a male escort.What if he hadn’t bumped into them? He didn’t even dare to think about it."Kimberly, there's a limit to being willful!" he warned her sternly.Kimberly showed no guilt or panic; instead, she retorted, "What right do you have to question me?""Because I'm your husband," he replied without thinking.
On the night of the wedding, he deliberately alienated Kimberly and didn't go back. Instead, he went out to drink with Ethan.Right now, he didn't want to see her eyes, red and swollen from crying, looking pitiful.Even drunk, he didn't mention to Ethan why he was acting out of character that day. It would remain a secret buried in his heart, never to be spoken of again.During this period, he thought about repairing his relationship with Kimberly, but his pride and ego wouldn't allow him to grovel. He also feared her hatred if she ever discovered the truth about him taking Samuel's place. So, he threw himself into work, completing in two years what he had promised his grandfather to do in three, with outstanding results.He was promoted to the head of the Smith Corporation's technical department, a position he achieved through tremendous effort.As time passed, rumors and gossip about him inevitably spread in the social circles.At first, he thought of explaining to Kimberly, but the
He thought that would be the end of it.After entering university, he and Kimberly were seen as inseparable by others. He looked forward to them making their relationship official.He waited a long time for Kimberly to confess her feelings, tossing and turning every night, unable to sleep. Could it be that she didn't sense his feelings?Impossible. He had been obvious enough. If he didn't like her, why would he accompany her to study sessions on weekends?If he didn't like her, he wouldn't have bothered choosing elective courses in her major.If he didn't like her, he wouldn't have patiently comforted her during her nightmares.Finally, on the eve of graduation, the day came when Kimberly took the initiative to confess. He admitted it was the happiest day of his life. Before she could finish speaking, he wanted to immediately say, 'I want to be your boyfriend.'But his happiness didn't last long. From her confession, he gradually realized something.She talked about the hand he extend
From that day on, he began to subtly observe his friend's actions.More than once, he had seen Samuel's gaze linger on Kimberly.Today was a big basketball game between schools, and Kimberly couldn't come to watch them play. Samuel seemed normal on the surface, but he was caught several times glancing at the audience, seemingly searching for someone's figure.After the game ended, they headed out of the court.Lucas, who often played basketball with them, made a careless joke, "Why didn't we see Kimberly from Class 7 today? Isn't she the one who always likes to hang around us?"Lucas turned to him and said, "Steve, I've noticed that Kimberly not only looks good but also has a great figure. Why doesn't she join the school cheerleading team? She'd look hot in that outfit."After saying this, Lucas laughed at his own joke, but there was silence all around, and everyone instinctively looked his way.Hearing this, his brows furrowed tightly, "What the hell are you saying?"He was about to
Time swiftly passed, and the high school entrance exams arrived in the midst of summer. He ranked first in his school earning a spot in best private school.At the moment the results came out, what concerned him most was not his own score but hers. He immediately sent her a message to ask about her results. He simply wanted to see if her highly praised 'sea of questions' strategy was effective, and he was eager to see her fail.After repeatedly checking his phone with no reply from her, he grew increasingly frustrated. She had promised to get into the same school as him; had she really failed to qualify?During the final tests, she had only fallen out of the top ten once, so she should have been fine, right?The only message in their chat was the one he had just sent. His patience wore thin. He knew that nerd's method was useless, and she should have listened to him.The tall teenager, clutching his phone, rushed downstairs.Grandpa adored Kimberly, and though it was the best school,
Time flew by, and soon they were facing the high school entrance exams. Kimberly was determined to get into the same school as him.He naturally aimed for the best private school.As the most challenging school in the state, it only admitted the top students from each school. Knowing he was applying there didn't matter much; Kimberly's math was so poor, it was still uncertain if she could get in.However, since deciding to apply to the same school as him, she immersed herself in studying. She was no longer seen in various school activities and even used the short ride to school to review vocabulary, drastically reducing the times she spoke to him.She stopped watching him play basketball and quickly returned to the classroom after a hurried lunch.The girl, who always took care to look pretty, lost that meticulousness. Several times, he saw the faint blue under her usually fair skin, knowing she had stayed up studying.He had told her many times that studying overnight was ineffective
Originally thinking she really couldn't speak, things changed during a year-end performance.He told a fairy tale in front of the whole school, titled "Princess Marlin," chosen randomly from a fairy tale book.After the story, there was thunderous applause. He was satisfied as he left the stage, but unexpectedly, he ran into the little mute girl backstage.His good mood was instantly ruined, and he pushed her away fiercely, "Get lost."To his surprise, she spoke to him for the first time, "Was it you?"He was shocked that she could speak, and her voice was soft and sweet, revealing that she wasn't mute after all.After the initial shock, anger welled up in him. She had ignored him so many times when he tried to talk to her; she had been pretending to be mute all along.This realization made him even angrier."What do you mean, was it you?" She's really an idiot; I don't even understand what she's talking about."You promised to tell me the story of Princess Marlin, why didn't you come
This was Steven's first time accompanying his grandfather to visit the granddaughter of his grandfather's good friend in the hospital.The strong smell of disinfectant permeated the hospital as his grandfather and Grandpa Ruan talked in solemn tones."Is Kim being discharged from the hospital today?" Old Smith asked.Old Wilson didn't speak but nodded, his entire demeanor drained of vitality, looking much older.Seeing this, old Smith sighed, "Life must go on, Kim is still young, you'll need to take care of her more from now on."Steven looked at the little girl sitting on the bed, her skin porcelain white and exceptionally delicate, but her most beautiful eyes were dull and empty. Her long lashes drooped as she kept turning her head to look out the window, seemingly unaware of his grandfather greeting her, showing no manners at all."What did the doctor say about Kim's condition? Shouldn't she stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation?" old Smith sighed, seeing the onc
The crowd around them was packed with people watching the fireworks. The tall and stately figure pulled her into his embrace, discreetly protecting her. As a bunch of pink heart-shaped fireworks bloomed in the sky, the crowd erupted in waves of admiration, "It's a pink heart, wow, so spectacular." "Did you get that? Did you get that? So beautiful!!!" "It's so beautiful, today's fireworks show was worth it." Another loud bang followed, and suddenly someone exclaimed, "There are words!" The giant fireworks that exploded in the sky clearly cast several words against the black canvas of the night. ——Kimberly, Happy New Year After the words twinkled away in the night sky, another 'boom' resounded, and more fireworks burst forth. The giant heart-shaped display. The huge screen on the building across the river changed to ——Kimberly, Happy New Year ——Kimberly, I love you. The surrounding crowd started to get noisy and excited. "Wow, look at the riverfront!" "Holy moly, who is Kimb