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
After reaching her office, Kimberly's heart was pounding, and she felt increasingly uneasy. Her mind wasn't on work at all. After much deliberation, like a warrior facing death, she opened the side profile photo that John had sent her.Seeing the person in the photo again, her heart sank. It couldn't be, it just couldn't. They may have looked very similar.Although Samuel was good-looking, his eyes and eyebrows were too cold and distant, his gaze colder than the winter air outside. It was nothing like the casually gentle feel of the youth in the photo.She then thought of the latest advertising campaign, Garcia, which had been everywhere. She casually opened a social media app, and right on the homepage was an ad for Garcia watches. Garcia, known for its luxury and extravagance, showcased two new models in the ad, one of which seemed to be the model worn by the person in the photo.She realized it was a black matte mechanical watch, exuding a mysterious black luster. The dial had lumi
When Kimberly left the company, she saw a tall figure leaning against a black Bentley not far away.He wore the same black, high-end custom suit from the morning but had added a crisp black coat, making his entire presence dazzling and noble.Standing there, he was like a beautiful landscape, causing excited whispers among the passing girls, some even secretly taking photos of him, though he seemed unaware.Samuel, seeing her, strode towards her.Kimberly's heart raced, instinctively wanting to flee.As Samuel approached and saw her wary eyes, he ignored her defensive posture. Instead, he leaned in closer, his cool, dark eyes earnestly meeting hers, asking, "What's wrong? Does your foot hurt?"Kimberly, reacting reflexively to his proximity, staggered back, suppressing the urge to run."Why are you here?" she asked uncomfortably.He glanced at her evasive demeanor, stood up straight, and slowly said, "You're having trouble moving, and as your neighbor, I came to pick you up from work.
Samuel parked the car in front of Kimberly's villa.This area was quiet amidst the bustle, with only the street lights on either side breaking the silence surrounding them.He slightly turned his head and asked, "Do you want me to walk you in?""No, no. I have bothered you enough for today. Thank you, Mr. Garcia."Kimberly forced a perfect smile, maintaining her polite facade.But as she was about to leave the car, her mask seemed to fail. Without daring to glance at him, she quickly pushed open the door and got out.Her pretense of calm betrayed a hint of panic, revealing her true feelings.She fled almost frantically, wishing she could run faster if not for her injured foot.Once inside her room, she quickly closed the door, feeling like predators were chasing her.At this point, she wasn't foolish. A straightforward thought formed in her mind, but she was in denial, not daring to confirm it nor wanting to.She couldn't bring herself to admit that the man was Samuel.She sat numbly
When Kimberly left her house, she saw Samuel's car waiting outside. His assistant, John, was there too, greeting her cheerfully, "Good morning, Miss Wilson," and opened the car door for her.Kimberly paused, her beautiful eyebrows furrowing. Didn't this man understand what a secret lover meant? Before she could speak, the rear car window rolled down, revealing a clear-cut, ruggedly handsome face."I'll only drop you near your company. No one will see us," he said in a calm voice, devoid of the lazy hoarseness he had in bed, reverting to his usual distant and indifferent demeanor, clearly drawing a line in public.Kimberly thought for a moment. Last night, lost in desire, she hadn't clarified many things. Now was a good time to set some ground rules. She got into the car, and as the door closed, the luxurious interior felt somewhat oppressive, especially sitting next to Samuel. Despite their intimacy in bed, they were not that familiar in real life.Samuel seemed undisturbed. He was fli
Kimberly entered the company and took the private elevator to her office floor. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Sally, her assistant, looking troubled and gesturing at her.Glancing at the half-open door of her office, Kimberly's heart raced with anxiety. Sally whispered to her, "Mr. Wilson is here."Kimberly was startled, realizing that her grandfather must have intentionally kept his return to the country a secret from her. She braced herself, pushed the door open, and walked in.Inside the office, besides her grandfather, was an aunt she hadn't spoken to for many years and a young, beautiful girl who looked familiar – likely her cousin, whom she had met before. The girl was two years older than her, and Kimberly knew she should address her as her cousin.Their reactions varied as they saw her enter. Her aunt and cousin Ava stood up as she approached.Her grandfather grumbled discontentedly, apparently harboring some resentment. "Oh, Kim, you've grown and become so beautiful. Co
"Kim... Don't be kidding."Kimberly's revelation was so unexpected that Ava was caught off guard.Originally, Ava had hoped that if Kimberly were to remarry, she could use the pretext of helping her to suppress Jennifer with Kimberly's power and climb up the social ladder by becoming closer to the Wilson family.However, the plot had now entirely deviated from her plan.Kimberly didn’t even glance at Ava. She only told her grandfather, "Grandpa, you don't need to be angry. I've already taken back the money Steven spent on our joint assets. You wanted a great-grandson, right? I’ve arranged that, too, so please don’t worry."Kimberly gently patted her grandfather's back to soothe him.The enormous weight that had been pressing on her grandfather's chest seemed to vanish instantly. He didn't even hear her mention of the assets.He latched onto the most crucial point, "A great-grandson?"Old Mr. Wilson was still in disbelief, asking, "Am I going to be a great-grandfather?"Mr. Wilson's ex
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