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
As soon as marriage was mentioned, Calla's chest tightened ever so slightly. She glanced at Pierre, whose expression remained calm, and then smiled. She thought to herself, "Maybe I'm being too sensitive. He probably just threw that out without actually meaning it."Calla soon exclaimed with a frown, "But I haven't bought anything for my mom yet!""The visit likely won't ever happen if we wait for you to be prepared. I already bought everything at the mall earlier," Pierre replied."What?" Calla's eyes went wide at those words. "You're done with the shopping? What did you buy? Why didn't you tell me?""Clothes, jewelry, health supplements, and food. Just look in the backseat," Pierre said, his eyes still focused on the road ahead.Calla immediately turned around. Sure enough, there were a few gift boxes and shopping bags of various sizes piled up in the backseat. She reached out, picked up a bag, and opened it. Inside was a deep red cashmere coat—clearly a luxury brand item—wi
Seeing Calla's astonished expression, Pierre solemnly looked at her for a moment before he smiled, suggesting, "I was thinking we could get married after the new year."Marriage? Calla wasn't prepared for that in the slightest.After all, they had only been together for just over half a month. Wasn't it a little too soon to get married right after the new year? Despite thinking that, she was afraid that she would hurt Pierre's feelings if she outright rejected him.After thinking for a moment, Calla asked with a smile, "Pierre, don't you think it's too rushed for us to get married right after the new year?""You don't need to worry about it being rushed. I'll have a wedding planner take care of everything. You won't need to worry about a thing—just try on the dress. After March, it'll get busy at the law firm, so I won't have time to take you on vacation. "Thus, I thought we should get married before March, and then I'll take you, Clover, and of course Fiona, to Thryan for a trip