"Now?" Maria asked, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness.Sidney raised an eyebrow in surprise. She was nervous?Seeing her reaction brought a sudden sense of excitement to his heart. "You’ve met my mom before. You know she’s a kind person. She’ll treat you really well.""I know." Maria nodded. She was well aware that Ruth was warm and gentle, always smiling when they spoke. She enjoyed talking with her and always felt a comforting warmth in her presence, though she couldn’t quite put it into words.But that was then. Now, things were different. Her role had changed, and with it came new anxieties."I think I need to prepare myself," Maria admitted.Sidney nodded with understanding. "That’s fine. We’re not in a rush. We have plenty of time."Maria let out a small sigh of relief.When they got home, the day’s events had left her feeling drained. After a relaxing shower, she lay down, her mind swirling with a mix of thoughts. Sidney climbed into bed, wrapping his arms around he
That evening, when Sidney came home, Maria shared the news with him.Sidney was stunned! After all, there had been some tension between him and Lucas in the past, especially due to the somewhat complicated relationship he had with Aveline. Sidney never expected Lucas to give them such a generous wedding gift—it was completely unexpected.But Maria was thrilled. "It’s a gift from the boss; we have to accept it. Are you off tomorrow? Let’s go check out the house."If they liked it, they could move in right away. If not, they could always sell it and find something else."Sure," Sidney agreed, pushing aside his mixed thoughts.That night, neither of them got much rest. By the time they left the house the next day, it was nearly noon.When they arrived at the gated villa community, the security measures were extremely strict. The guards required registration, and they even needed to input their identity information.Maria appreciated this level of security.Sitting in the car, she sugge
Diana left the hospital and went to a small shop across from the hospital entrance. She ordered a plate of pasta but barely touched it.As the sky darkened, Sidney and Maria finally emerged after spending almost two hours inside. Seeing them, Diana immediately stood up, ready to move at any moment. Her eyes, filled with jealousy, turned red as she stared at Sidney and Maria. The way she looked at Sidney was filled with bitterness and pain. That man was truly despicable!It seemed like Sidney said something to Maria before walking off into the distance. Diana’s eyes lit up at the sight and she quickly ran over, grabbing Maria's hand and pulling her in the opposite direction.Caught off guard, Maria stumbled slightly, nearly falling. Seeing who it was, Maria furrowed her brows and forcefully yanked her hand free."What are you doing?"Diana looked at her. "I have something to tell you about Sidney. Do you want to hear it?"Maria replied, "Then just say it. Why are you pulling me?"Dia
"Oh? Is that so? But she said it was because you gave her signals, which is why she approached you," Maria remarked as she carried the small cake towards the car.Hearing this, Sidney immediately tensed up. His sharp eyes fixed on her as he explained, "Maria, I swear I never gave her any signals. The only reason I met her was through my mom. I made it clear I wasn’t interested in her. Later, we only stayed in contact because she introduced me to a client. I didn’t want to owe her, so I did her a small favor—nothing more."The time they had run into each other at the restaurant was right after Diana had introduced him to a client, and he had treated her to a meal as thanks. Back then, Maria had been with Herman. At that time, Sidney hadn’t yet figured out his feelings. Seeing her with such a handsome and accomplished man, he had felt irritated and something else he hadn’t fully understood. He had only known that it bothered him, but he hadn’t thought too deeply about why.Later, whe
Sidney leaned back against the bathtub, his abdominal muscles tense. Both of them were drenched, water dripping from their bodies. He held her waist firmly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he spoke."Maria, do you like this?"Maria, exhausted, rested her head on his chest, her ears filled with the strong rhythm of his heartbeat. For some reason, her own heartbeat quickened."I do," she whispered.Sidney asked again, "Do you prefer it faster or slower?"Maria’s face flushed a deep red. She lifted her head to look at him, meeting his intense eyes, which were focused on her, waiting for her response. He hadn’t made any further move, just holding her in suspense, and it was driving her crazy.Maria said, "Sidney, when did you become so mischievous?"Sidney’s expression remained calm. "I’m not. I’m just asking for your opinion."Still unmoving, the water in the tub gradually stilled.Maria couldn’t handle the tension any longer. Propping her hands on his shoulders, she straightened up, causin
Ruth froze for a moment. "Move into your wedding house? How can I do that? You two should live your own life as a couple. I won’t be living with you."Maria stepped forward, gently taking her hand. "Mom, you have to live with us. We're always so busy, and we end up cutting corners on everything. We need you to keep us in line."Ruth's focus shifted. "Yes, you young people work too hard, not taking care of yourselves properly. That’s no good."Maria smiled. "Exactly, so you need to stay with us and keep an eye on us. Don’t worry, the house is big enough—you could play soccer inside if you wanted!"Ruth laughed. "At my age? Playing soccer?"Sidney chimed in, "Mom, Maria is personally inviting you. If you refuse, you'll be hurting her feelings. Are you not happy with your daughter-in-law?"Ruth gave Sidney a light smack. "You rascal, what nonsense! I’m very happy with Maria! Don’t try to stir up trouble between us."Maria added, "Yes, don’t try to cause trouble. Mom will definitely live w
Selena and Aaron's wedding was grand, even though they had already registered their marriage months ago. But with this ceremony, it felt as though they had truly become husband and wife. Before the wedding, Aaron took care of most of his business matters, planning to take Selena on a honeymoon afterward. They had chosen destinations abroad—first to F Country and then to T Country.However, by the third day, Selena couldn’t hold it in any longer.That morning, she woke up, gazing at Aaron's handsome face. Suddenly, she spoke with unusual seriousness, "I need to confess something."Aaron was half-leaning against the headboard. Hearing this, he smiled slightly but teased her, "Why do you sound so serious? Did you do something wrong?"Selena playfully punched him but then, feeling guilty, coughed lightly before saying, "Do you remember Snow?"The smile on Aaron’s lips faded a little. He looked at her intently. "She’s in the past. Besides, I never even met her. Are you jealous?""It’s no
Aaron had left, and Selena had no idea where he’d gone. She wasn’t familiar with the area or the island’s language—it wasn’t one she knew. Sitting by the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, she hugged her knees, feeling lost and helpless.She pulled out her phone, thinking about contacting Aveline, but it was the middle of the night back in their country. Aveline was pregnant and definitely asleep. Selena didn’t want to disturb her.What could she do? Who could help her?Without being able to find Aaron, she couldn’t even attempt to apologize.Biting her lip, she unlocked her phone and stared at the transactions from "Foolish Aaron" she had saved over time. After tallying them up, she transferred all the money back to him.Selena wrote, “I’ve returned all the money. Please don’t be mad anymore, okay?”The message was sent, but it was like throwing a stone into the ocean—no response."Sigh..."Even paying him back didn’t work. What was she supposed to do now?On the other side of the is