"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
Calla's gaze first landed on Harlan, then she met Zoey's cold eyes. After not seeing each other for more than half a year, Calla occasionally thought of Zoey. She wondered if Zoey's hatred toward her had lessened over time.Though Zoey had hurt her in such a cruel way, she was still Calla's younger sister. Memories of their childhood back when Zoey was still an innocent, carefree girl often came back to Calla.But now, Zoey's eyes were icy, showing only resentment and no joy at this sisterly reunion.Calla's expression turned cold at this. Neither of them said a word.At this moment, Carol walked over to Harlan and smiled. "Harlan, your brother-in-law is here."She then turned to Pierre and introduced him to Harlan. "Pierre, this is your brother-in-law, Harlan."Harlan gave Pierre a once-over, his expression somewhat stiff. Not knowing the history between Calla and Harlan, Pierre smiled naturally and greeted him with, "Hey, Harlan."To which, Harlan replied, "Hello, 'broth
Zoey tugged at Carol's sleeve and complained in a playful tone, "Mom, I didn't mean to hurt Calla. I just feel so useless—like I can't compare to her in anything!""To me, both you and your sister are the same," Carol cooed as she reached out to hug Zoey.Seeing Zoey act childishly while clinging to their mother, Calla was reminded of the past. However, the current Zoey, who still appeared to be the same sweet girl who would cuddle up to their mother, had grown far more complicated. Calla could no longer read Zoey's thoughts and suddenly found Zoey terrifying. Zoey's fragile exterior concealed a heart that was cold and calculating.Sensing that the atmosphere was off, Calla had initially wanted to leave. However, Carol held her back, insisting Calla stay as she had already ordered food from a nearby restaurant for a family dinner.Hearing about the family dinner, Calla felt obligated to stay. For the sake of her mother's idea of a reunion, she braced herself for the evening.Lat
"Yes, I am paranoid! I think about how my husband is in love with my sister every day!" Zoey hissed through clenched teeth. Her expression was twisted with anger, but her voice was quiet, barely audible to anyone beyond the slightly ajar bedroom door.Calla knew that Zoey was still being cautious, mindful of Harlan and their mother outside. However, when it came to Calla, Zoey had completely abandoned any pretense of familial love.Calla instinctively raised her hand, wanting to slap her sister— to shake her out of this self-destructive mindset.Zoey glanced at Calla's raised hand without a hint of fear. She even smirked coldly. "Go ahead, hit me! I'll still say it as it is even if you kill me!"Seeing Zoey's defiance and disrespect, Calla lowered her hand. She realized no amount of slapping would bring back the old Zoey. Why hurt herself in the process?Instead, Calla clenched her fists and announced, "Zoey, our bond ends here. From now on, I have no sister.""And you think I ca