Pierre turned around when he heard Calla's voice. Seeing her serious expression, he frowned in confusion.Calla stared at Pierre, her right hand clenched into a fist. At that moment, she gathered her courage, though her legs trembled slightly. She knew that she was closing one chapter of her life by making this decision. Both she and Clover would be stepping into a new one.Pierre looked at Calla for a moment, then said, "Let's talk inside.""Okay." Calla nodded.Pierre then turned and used his key to unlock the door to his apartment. Once inside, Calla followed him in and closed the door behind her.Calla slowly walked up to Pierre. Meeting his gaze, she said, "Pierre, I accept your suggestion."Pierre's forehead creased in confusion. "What… do you mean?"Calla bit her lip, hesitating as she asked, "Have you changed your mind? If you have, just forget I said anything."She started to turn away, but Pierre quickly grabbed her wrist.Feeling the firm grip, Calla looked up to
Calla's exhilarated laughter eventually filled the room.Pierre held Calla and spun around the living room for several minutes. When they were both dizzy and breathless, he finally stopped. He gently set her down on the couch, where they both slumped, panting and disoriented.As Calla leaned back against the couch, she felt like the entire room was still spinning. A smile spread across her face as she savored the thrill of the moment. She had never been so wild and carefree before. This light-headedness felt oddly invigorating.Still catching his breath, Pierre supported himself on the couch with one hand and gazed deeply at Calla with a profound look in his eyes.Noticing his intense gaze, Calla asked softly, "What are you looking at?"Pierre suddenly reached out, cupping her chin in his hand. His eyes seemed to drink in her features as he remarked, "You're beautiful."Taken aback by the compliment, Calla remarked, "You could have complimented me about anything else. How can I c
Just as Calla was facing everything with a determined attitude, all of Pierre's aggressive actions suddenly came to a halt. After a long pause with no further movement from him, Calla opened her tightly shut eyes and saw a face beaming with a radiant smile.At that moment, Calla looked back at him with puzzled eyes. Though she thought it strange, she found it awkward to ask why he had stopped.The next moment, Pierre gently stroked her smooth face with his finger and said earnestly, "I know you're not ready yet. I won't force you to do something you don't want. This is how it is now and will be in the future."Hearing this, Calla stared at Pierre with wide eyes. She couldn't pinpoint the feelings stirring within her. However, she certainly felt moved and grateful, along with some other indescribable emotions. She knew a thing or two about men. It was rare for a man to restrain himself under such circumstances. Perhaps Pierre had sensed her hesitation, uncertainty, and the tens
Calla understood that she was way past the age of pursuing a dreamy romance, especially now that she had Clover. She had to be realistic. She knew she had to cherish Pierre, who was her only choice and a gift from Heaven for her and Clover.Even though they had quickly gotten closer, and Calla would take care of his daily needs, they still hadn't taken it all the way.Calla didn't understand why, but every time Pierre got close to her, her body would tense up. Though she was trying hard to overcome this psychological barrier, her body's reaction seemed to defy her mind's commands.Fortunately, Pierre didn't push her and continued to be patient. Calla felt guilty about it, but he would always comfort her. He said that she wasn't a frivolous woman and had the reserved dignity a woman should have, which was something he especially appreciated about her.Pierre was now even more devoted to Clover. He would spend time every night carrying her around the house, which made Clover giggle j
Calla and Alicia continued their conversation."I never expected you to have even captivated Riverford's top lawyer!" Alicia teased. "Seriously, what's your secret? Share a few with me so I can hook a handsome guy too—if not a golden catch, at least a silver one!""Stop joking around," Calla scolded with a smile. "It's not like I had much of a choice. It's tough raising Clover alone. Pierre treats Clover like his own child and has rescued us from danger a few times. What more can I ask for? I truly feel indebted to him."Alicia looked at her in shock. "What are you saying? Do you not love Pierre? Are you with him just because he's good to Clover?"Calla set her coffee cup down with a frown. "Feelings can develop over time, no? I think I'm slowly developing feelings for him. Besides, love doesn't put food on the table. At my age, I don't want to chase after illusions. A stable life and Clover's future are what matter most now. Don't you think so?""Ah, you're right! What you seek w
"You can't tell me that's not the case. He's coming all the way here to pick you up from work. You and I haven't seen each other in so long, but you're already leaving after we barely talked for two minutes. You're prioritizing your lover over your friend!" Alicia started to complain."Haven't we already said everything that needs to be said? Besides, Clover is waiting for me at home. New Year's is in a little over a week, and Fiona is going back to her hometown. I have to give her some time to prepare for the trip, right?" Calla quickly explained."Alright, alright, stop with the excuses. The more you speak, the worse it sounds. You two haven't seen each other all day, so I won't keep you here. "Go ahead, run off for your passionate reunion with your big-shot lawyer boyfriend. Who knows, maybe tonight you'll make a younger sibling for Clover!" Alicia teased, getting more and more excited."You're so annoying!" Calla's face turned red."I'm just giving you advice, okay? If you ge
Alicia extended her hand and lightly slapped her mouth. She was afraid her words might cause trouble for Calla. Why did she have such a big mouth? She pulled out her phone, intending to call Calla and tell her what had happened. But as soon as the dial tone started ringing, she quickly hung up. Calla had only just started to rebuild her life; Alicia didn't want her call to affect her mood.But what if Mercer was plotting something? His appearance there certainly wasn't a coincidence.After much hesitation, Alicia decided not to tell Calla for now. After all, things were going well between Calla and Pierre. Alicia didn't want to ruin Calla's growing happiness.Besides, even if Mercer did have some scheme in mind, there was nothing Calla could do to prepare for it—no one knew what Mercer was planning anyway.Meanwhile, Mercer got in the back seat of the car, his face stern.Turning his head, Simon noticed Mercer's dark expression. He cautiously asked, "Mr. Garland, should we hea
Upon hearing that, Simon was momentarily stunned before he let out a chuckle. "Mr. Garland, you must be joking, right? How is that possible?""I must have been too arrogant. I thought she'd never accept anyone but me. Turns out I had too much confidence," Mercer replied, staring out the window at the passing scenery with his face filled with defeat.The car fell into silence for a while before Simon suddenly spoke again. "Mr. Garland, perhaps you misunderstood Ms. Sherman. Even if she's seeing someone now, you still have a chance as long as she isn't married to him. "Besides, you both already have two children together, though Ms. Sherman doesn't know that Casper is her son yet. I believe she'd come back to you if she knew."These words stirred something in Mercer's heart. However, as proud as he was, he couldn't bear the thought of using children to tie Calla to him. No matter how much he liked her, he refused to use their children as tools.The next moment, Mercer pressed his f