Before Rose could speak, Calla said, "Mom, do you have anything else you want to know? You can ask everything all at once, and I'll tell you everything."This instantly provoked Rose to anger. She put her teacup down on the coffee table heavily and said angrily, "Do you know who you're talking to? I'm your elder! How could you be so rude? Don't you have any manners at all?"In the face of Rose's anger, Calla answered calmly, "Mom, you say that you're an elder of mine. Does that mean you accept me as your daughter-in-law?"This put Rose in a difficult position. Her original intention had been to ask Calla some questions which she knew would humiliate her, and then she would reject her as her daughter-in-law on the pretext of their unevenly matched family backgrounds. She hadn't expected Calla to pull this move. Mercer had been planning to step in if Calla was defeated, but the latter had managed to anger Rose with just a few sentences. Rose wasn't an easy person to deal with and ha
"You're doing this to get revenge on me, aren't you?" Rose's raised voice drifted up a few moments later."You're my mother. Why would I want to get revenge on you? Besides, I wouldn't use my own marriage as a tool for revenge." There was an icy tone in Mercer's voice.Calla couldn't help frowning when she heard this. Did the two of them really have a feud of some sort? There was clear hostility in their conversation.What previous relationship was Rose talking about? Did she mean that Mercer had loved his ex-girlfriend very much? Calla was confused, but her strong curiosity made her continue to eavesdrop on the stairs. She knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but their conversation included her, after all."Would you have married this woman if it wasn't to get revenge on me? She has a sad family background and even sadder skills. And although she isn't bad-looking, she's certainly no beauty. "Just what do you see in her? You know what kind of family we are. If you marry someone lik
After about half an hour, the door was pushed open gently.Calla was standing in front of the wall and admiring one of the paintings. She turned to see Mercer walking in, and she scrutinized his expression. Although he looked as cold and impassive as always, he did not betray any sign of having argued with Rose. "These paintings are pretty good." Calla smiled slightly to mask the awkwardness.Mercer's lips twitched, and he said, "These are genuine Karl John paintings."Calla stuck out her tongue, realizing that she had revealed her ignorance. She asked, "How famous is he?""Among his contemporaries, he's probably ranked between third to sixth. The ones ranked first and second are in my father's study and safe. Even I'm not allowed to look at them for no reason," he answered.These paintings probably cost millions or more. Those that were ranked first and second would probably be hundreds of millions. Calla had known that Mercer's family was rich, but she hadn't expected him to b
Mercer stared at Calla for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What did she accuse you of?""She accused me of being after your money, of course! Do you even have to ask?" Calla felt that Mercer had suddenly become less intelligent. "So you're saying that you're not interested in my money?" Mercer's lip curled upward."Of course not!" Calla raised her voice by several octaves.Mercer suddenly asked cheekily, "So you're just in it for me?" Calla hesitated for a moment. She randomly picked up the glass of juice next to her to disguise her sudden discomfort. She quickly exclaimed, "Please! Your money is more attractive than you are!"She had only married him so that her child would have legal recognition. Had he forgotten what he had said to persuade her? Still, why did Calla suddenly feel nervous? She suppressed the strange feeling and tried to keep herself calm. Mercer was startled. He suddenly said, "After we eat, we're going back to Riverford.""So quickly?" Calla was surprised
Calla finally realized how considerate Mercer was being.The resort was on the outskirts of Sedonia, and it would take them three hours on the highway before reaching Riverford.Mercer had seen how tired she was, which was why he had chosen to spend a night here. He hadn't asked her to stay at Garland Mansion because he didn't want her to feel awkward around his parents. He was being considerate of her in all aspects.Calla felt unusually happy as she lay on the huge, soft bed. She closed her eyes and continued sleeping contentedly.…When they returned to Riverford, Calla and Mercer's relationship became even more relaxed and natural. Calla would take care of his daily needs, and he would regularly take her for prenatal checkups. They would sit in front of the television, talking and laughing with each other, just like any other husband and wife. One afternoon, after Mercer had gone to work, Calla went to the mall and bought a whole bunch of things to bring home to Carol an
"Go back to your room and study! This has nothing to do with you." Carol immediately tried to stop Zoey from blabbering.Zoey shook her head in exasperation. She turned and went back inside, but immediately stuck her head out and called out to Calla. "Rudy told Mom to persuade you to talk to Mercer! He wants you to let that insurance company of his take care of Atlas' property insurance!" Zoey immediately shut the door so that Carol could not scold her.Calla was furious. She turned and glared at Carol.Carol immediately waved her hand and said, "He did make the request, but I didn't agree to it! I only agreed to talk to you about it. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for Mercer."This made Calla even more angry, but she had to suppress her emotions. She said tiredly, "Mom, how many times do I need to tell you before you understand? Why do you let Rudy use you time and time again? "He no longer has any feelings for you at all! All his attention is on Jill and Peggy. If
In the blink of an eye, Calla was already three months pregnant, and her belly was starting to show. She was also experiencing symptoms of morning sickness, and she was eating voraciously. She got hungry very quickly, and as a result, her weight steadily increased. However, that only made her look even more attractive, as she was now getting curves.That night, Jasmine put down the phone and said to Calla, who was sitting on the couch and watching television. "Ms. Sherman, Mr. Garland says that he has an engagement tonight and won't be back for dinner."Calla frowned slightly.Mercer had been extremely busy for the past two weeks or so, and he had barely been back for dinner. It was usually already past midnight by the time he got back. Calla felt that something wasn't right, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was."Let's eat," she said after a moment's pause.After she had taken a few bites, Calla felt that she had no appetite.In the bedroom, she leaned against the headboard o
"I'm going on a business trip tomorrow," Mercer suddenly spoke up behind her.He knew that she wasn't asleep, so Calla decided not to keep up the act. She asked, "Where are you going?" "Morvenia," he replied.Calla was startled. Did Atlas have business in Morvenia too? She had worked at Atlas for several years, but she had never heard about such a thing. Was this a private business trip?Calla knew that he might not want to speak about it further, so she did not press him anymore. She only asked, "How long will you be gone?""About a week," he answered after a moment's thought."I'll pack for you," Calla said, getting up."It's alright!" He stopped her at once.Calla turned to look at Mercer in the dark, and her brow furrowed."I'll only need to take a few changes of clothes. Jasmine will pack for me tomorrow. It's late. You should get some rest," he said.It was already 1:00 am, and packing right now would affect both of their sleep. Calla decided not to persist.After tha