Kimberly tightly embraced his neck, her mind in chaos, unsure what to question in such an intimate atmosphere. She found herself asking, "What's your private life like?"Up until now, her understanding of Samuel was fragmented. She had never really inquired about or paid attention to him before and later deliberately avoided him. The 'school beauty girlfriend' was the only aspect she somewhat knew of his private life, and even that was unreliable information.Samuel, astute as he was, immediately grasped the underlying meaning of her words – she knew hardly anything about his life.His cold, desire-laden features slightly furrowed, his eyes complex and subtle, his lips pressed into a thin line."..."The wind battered the windows, wildly swirling outside, casting one into midair."...""..."After what seemed like an eternity, he finally released her. Stray strands of hair fell over his cold and stern brow, giving him an air of vulnerabi
This was Kimberly's second visit to Smith Corporation. Her first visit was to catch a cheater, and this time, it was to safeguard her vast wealth.When Kimberly arrived at the meeting room of Smith Corporation, all the other shareholders had already gathered. They were familiar faces, either business associates of her family or attendees of her wedding with Steven.However, the mood among the shareholders in the meeting room was grim.The man leading the meeting, dressed in a crisp suit, lounged lazily in his chair. Unlike their last encounter, where he appeared desolate and lonely, his peach blossom eyes were now cold and indifferent. He showed no particular expression when he saw her enter.He had also moved on from their divorce. The atmosphere between them was subtly awkward; they had gone from being a married couple to strangers.Charles sat not far from him, his expression dark and unpleasing. Although only in his late thirties, his face was already marked with deep furrows, sug
She no longer wanted Steven, but the book still seemed to hold some value for her. Memories of those painful days surged like a tide, and she couldn't let go of that one glimmer of light from her darkest times.The person was gone, but the book was hers. How could she not take it back?Kimberly struggled internally, then smiled, though it was more of a grimace. To Lucas, she said, "Lucas, I'll wait here. Could you please go and fetch it for me?"Lucas looked troubled. "Madam, please don't make this difficult for me. You know, Mr. Smith."His words were actual; nobody could change Steven's mind once he decided.Indeed, it was unfair to put Lucas in such a position.Their relationship was awkward now, and it would be best if they never saw each other again. It was all in the past, and she wondered what Steven was planning now.Kimberly crossed her arms, tapping her fingers lightly on her forearm. She considered a solution to satisfy everyone when Lucas cautiously said, "Madam, you shoul
Kimberly quietly observed the man before her whom she once passionately adored. Now, her heart felt no ripples as she gazed at him again.Her bright and clear eyes fixed on him, her voice devoid of affection, “Steven, don’t you realize that you initiated the divorce? What right do you have to blame me now?”Steven's throat tightened upon hearing her words. He stood up and walked towards her, bending slightly, his gaze earnest and hopeful as he tried to explain, “Kimberly, I shouldn’t have acted out of anger, making so many mistakes. I never had anything serious with those women.”Steven pleaded in a low voice, “I now realize what’s most important. My arrogance and pride hurt you, and I apologize. You can hit or scold me, and I promise never to repeat these mistakes. Can you give me a chance to make amends? I swear, if you’re even slightly dissatisfied, you can stop anytime, and I won't bother you again.”Unmoved by his sincere words, Kimberly said flatly, “From the moment you asked fo
His voice low and magnetic, Steven spoke slowly, “Kimberly, when your parents had their accident, you sneaked out of the hospital to see them, not knowing where to go. That's when I met you.”Kimberly frowned upon hearing this, looking at the man before her.Of course, she remembered.But every time she mentioned it, his attitude always changed somewhat. She didn't expect that today he would bring it up himself.Steven, looking at her, spoke softly, “Actually, you don’t know the whole story. That wasn’t the first time I saw you. I first saw you at the scene of your parents’ accident…”“Stop! Don’t talk about it anymore!” Kimberly suddenly raised her voice sharply, interrupting him harshly. That was the scene of her deepest pain and least willing to recall.The memories she had deliberately forgotten were brutally uncovered, recalling that horrific scene. She felt utterly drained, her face turned deathly pale, and she almost collapsed on the spot.His strong hands supported her.Steven
Steven sneered, feeling no fear towards Samuel. He thought that he hadn't realized before that Samuel not only had the potential to be a third one in a relationship but also managed to do it so confidently and shamelessly.His magnetic voice suddenly turned cold, “You doubt me? What does our marital issue have to do with you? Are you addicted to snooping into other people’s marital lives? Not just snooping, but also resorting to evil means.”Steven’s lips curled into a cold smile mixed with disdain and contempt, “Now it seems you are nothing but a rat in the gutter. I was blind to have considered you a best friend.”Samuel’s lips were tightly pressed together, ignoring his words. His voice was chillingly cold, “She has post-traumatic stress disorder. Over half of the people with this condition develop anxiety and depressive disorders, and the suicide rate is about six times higher than normal. She’s strong and hasn’t had an episode in a long time. Why did she suddenly have an episode
Kimberly looked at the person in front of her, who was exceptionally good at taking advantage of situations and pursed her lips lightly.The warm hand on her waist exerted a gentle force, pulling Kimberly closer to him.The pair of indifferent eyes had lost their sharpness and looked harmless, quickly lowering one’s guard.Kimberly looked down and pulled his hand, gently patting off the dust on his rolled-up shirt sleeve. She saw the fresh scar on his pale arm, several centimeters long, already stitched and healed but looking somewhat fierce up close.Recalling the past, she knew he was waiting for her to ask, yet she had coldly allowed Mila to bandage him and then never inquired further. Now, observing closely, her emotions were complex. She looked up at him and said lightly, "Samuel, aren’t you good at playing the victim? Why didn’t you treat such a painful wound?"The surrounding area was eerily quiet. Samuel felt like a stone had been thrown into his calm heart, stirring his blood
On the way back, Kimberly maintained a calm demeanor that revealed no hint of abnormality.However, Samuel couldn't help but frown slightly at her overly compliant behavior today, which made him feel somewhat uneasy.He uncrossed his long legs and patted his thigh, beckoning to Kimberly, sitting beside him, "Come sit here."Returning from her thoughts, Kimberly looked at the man sitting elegantly beside her. His handsome brows were slightly raised, and his narrow, cold eyes fixed on her with a focused yet relaxed demeanor. Even when he deliberately restrained his sharpness, he exuded a compelling sense of control.She should keep her distance from such a man by her initial intentions, as he was not someone she could afford to provoke. However, there was a magical allure about him, giving her a sense of security as if his mere presence could support her world, making her involuntarily want to rely on him.Kimberly glanced at his long legs clad in black trousers, hesitated momentarily,
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