Nolan's POV."Come in." I took my hands off the keyboard and leaned back in my chair.Anne placed a cup of tea on my desk and said softly, “Your tea.”I nodded and turned my attention to the cup of tea. Over the past few months, my habit had changed from drinking coffee to tea while working. Perhaps starting from the fact that my little doll often forced me to drink tea to avoid harming my health, I was no longer interested in the taste of coffee anymore.My mind wandered to the images of Rosalynn and her moans appearing involuntarily whenever we made love. The corner of my mouth curled up and I unconsciously spoke before taking a sip of tea, "Is she back yet?""Not yet. She didn't tell me she was coming back for lunch.” Anne answered while cleaning up the scattered books on the tea table and grumbling slightly at the dusty books.I put down the teacup and my voice was filled with dissatisfaction, “I'm at home today, shouldn't she be planning to return? Call her; I want her home immed
Rosalynn’s POV."Sir, Miss Carter is a special guest of our company. She can not leave before the party officially begins.""Let go of her.""What if I don't?""You…" Nolan growled.However, before these two men could cause a major uproar, I furrowed my brows, pushed their hands away, and spoke with a voice almost shouting to cut off Nolan, "Enough! I suggest you two let me go. I've finished my performance."I lifted the hem of my dress and slowly stepped down from the stage. At this point, I began to feel embarrassed as many eyes were focused on me. Taking a champagne glass from a server, I made my way to the seat Hades had arranged for me.A second later, the woman beside me was inexplicably chased away by Nolan, who then sat down with a disgruntled expression, "You never told me you would attend this company party.""Nolan, we agreed to treat each other as strangers in public. Many people are watching us."I lowered my voice to remind him, then pretended to take a sip of wine to ca
Nolan’s POV.I took a deep drag of my cigarette, feeling my chest rise and fall with each breath. My gaze drifted towards the tranquil night outside the window, the cigarette smoke swirling faintly as if creating a misty veil over my mind at that moment.I couldn't recall the last time I had smoked, but it seemed like ages ago, after my frantic struggle with airport security personnel and returning home disappointed. Looking at my little doll sound asleep on the bed, I stubbed out the cigarette and smiled, stepping closer to her.Now, what could soothe my soul quickest was the beautiful face of this angel, not the cigarette anymore.I leaned down to kiss Rosalynn's rosy cheek, threading my fingers through her hair and caressing them unwilling to let go."Uhm... Huh..." She stirred softly and murmured.Rosalynn slowly opened her eyes to look at me, her gaze dreamy with innocence and tenderness, causing a smile to tug at the corners of my mouth unconsciously. I helped her sit up and whi
Nolan’s POV.I didn't know how I felt when I was leaving the company. But when I got home, I couldn't find Rosalynn's presence right away, which made me infuriated. I stormed through the first floor, calling out her name until I entered the kitchen and I found this woman happily cooking with Anne as if she hadn't hidden anything from me."What's this photo? Didn't you say you first met Hades at Wellspring Company's anniversary celebration?" I aggressively tossed the phone toward Rosalynn and interrogated her in a cold tone.Rosalynn was startled to the point of dropping the hot spatula onto the kitchen counter, causing boiling water to accidentally splash onto her hand, and she briefly exclaimed, "Ah, hot.""Who asked you to cook?" I panicked, rushing to grasp her hand and gently rubbing a reddened patch of skin, softly asking her, "Does it hurt?"Anne, whom I had pushed away, was equally taken aback. She turned off the stove and hurriedly went outside, "Let me get the first aid kit.
Rosalynn's POV.“Liam?”As soon as I regained consciousness, the first thing that caught my eye was the pure white floor along with the distinct smell of disinfectant that told me I was in the hospital. I vaguely saw Liam sitting at the side of the hospital bed and he woke up from his doze when I called him.Liam helped me sit up and adjusted the pillow behind my back to make me feel as comfortable as possible, "Do you feel pain anywhere?"“Why are you here? Wasn't I practicing the piano while waiting for you to return?" I nodded to thank him and then furrowed my brow in confusion. My memory only stopped at the fact that I felt dizzy and had a headache when while hearing the piano sound, after that I couldn't remember anything else.“You fainted from overexertion during practice. The doctor said you need to rest for a few days. It's best for you to stop playing the piano for now to be fully alert for the upcoming competition. I shouldn't have pushed you to practice so much.” Liam gave
[WARNING R-18] THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG READERS.Rosalynn's POV.“Who is the woman in this photo?” I cleared my throat and asked.My shoulder blades trembled from the choking waves rising up my throat. I felt pain taking over my entire body and approaching to suffocate my heart as I looked straight into the face of the man who made me fall in love. But I tried to bite my lips to hold back the tears and it seemed like with just a little more pressure, I would crush the photo in my hand.Nolan took long strides and quickly snatched the photo from my hand and put it in his vest pocket, "An acquaintance, it's not your turn to worry.""Acquaintance? Why is she exactly like me? From her face, her hairstyle, even the dress she's wearing is the style you forced me to wear every day to hang around in front of you."Even though I only glanced once, I clearly remembered that every feature of that woman's face was exactly like mine. I even suspected that I had a
Rosalynn's POV.I sat absent-mindedly in the living room with the TV on for hours, but my mind was not there at all. The bodyguards were still standing at the door like two statues and paying attention to the slightest movement from me. As for Nolan, I didn't call him to complain about this because I didn't even want to hear his voice.Anne put a plate of cakes on the table and sat down next to me, "Rosa, have some pastries." She said with a smile trying to cheer me up.I glanced at my favorite strawberry cake. He locked me in this house but still ordered Alex to buy the cake and bring it in front of me. But what did he do that for? This action of his now did not arouse any emotions in me anymore.“Thank you, Anne.” I smiled wryly in response.It was unreasonable for me to express my boredom and frustration to Anne when she had absolutely nothing to do with it.I walked to the piano and ran my fingers across the shiny surface. Perhaps the piano was the only way to free me from my mixe
Nolan's POV.“Rosalynn.” I had just stepped into the house and immediately searched for the figure of my little doll.“Mr. Nolan, why are you back so early? It's raining like this, weren't you in any danger on the way?" Anne held the vest for me and was surprised at my presence before the end of work hours.I loosened my tie and rolled up my shirt sleeves, glancing at Anne before casually saying, "Finished work, so I came home early. Where is she?"“Rosa said she was a bit tired so she went to her room to sleep.”“How was her reaction today?” I unbuttoned my shirt one more button to make it more comfortable, then put my hands in my pockets and went up to the second floor.My pace of walking up the stairs was very slow so that I could continue to listen to what Anne reported. She sighed, “When she woke up in the morning, she indeed wanted to take her suitcase and leave like you predicted. But after that, she just sat blankly watching TV in the living room for several hours. No matter h
One year later.In London.“Hailey, Ryan, stop running around!”“It’s raining. Hurry up and get inside!”I sipped on my hot tea and watched Marie trying to keep the two kids in line. As I saw the rain splashing against the clear glass window, I thought about getting up to fetch an umbrella for them, but Nolan stopped me.“Just relax, I already gave them one. Hailey will come inside soon—she hates getting wet in the rain.” He set a plate of pastries in front of me and sat down beside me.Then, he rested his head against my large, round belly and playfully asked, “Son, have you been making mommy tired today?”That’s right, I was nine months pregnant, and the little one inside me was a boy. Every night, I eagerly awaited his arrival, imagining his face and thinking he would probably look just like his dad, Nolan. The doctor said my due date was approaching soon, so I had to be careful with every move I made.I ran my fingers through Nolan’s soft, short hair, teasingly saying, “I think yo
Rosalynn’s POV.A musty smell enveloped me as I slowly opened my eyes, realizing I was tied up. My heart skipped a beat when I remembered my daughter.Just then, something soft brushed against me. I looked down and saw Hailey lying next to me, fast asleep. Relief washed over me, but my head still throbbed, likely from the lingering effects of the sedative.I sat up and scanned the room. It was clear—we’d been kidnapped.But who would dare pull this off so close to Nolan’s estate? And how did they slip past Alex’s guard?“You’re awake, huh?” A woman’s voice echoed through the room as the door to this dingy warehouse creaked open.Being a pianist, I was more sensitive to sounds than most, and my memory of voices was sharp. I recognized her immediately without needing to look, “Christine Watson. You should be locked up in the police station awaiting trial. How did you escape?”Christine let out a loud, deranged laugh, “If I told you Nolan had mercy on me and didn’t hand me over to the po
At the Watson family mansion.Nolan's POV.“What the hell are you doing? Let my father go. Do you have an arrest warrant, or are you just barging into our home?”As I stepped into the Watson family's grand hall, Christine’s screams echoed loudly. She showed her sharp and aggressive side in front of the officers arresting Kyle. That sweet, gentle expression of hers, it seemed, only ever appeared when she was with me.The moment she saw me, Christine’s eyes lit up as if she had found a savior. She rushed over to me and pleaded, “Nolan, please! There must be some mistake. Tell them to release my father.”I pulled my hand away, not hiding the annoyance on my face, “Enough, Christine.”“What?” She froze, looking at me with confusion in her eyes, “What do you mean?”The officer beside me presented the arrest warrant and said firmly, “Mr. Kyle Watson is suspected of orchestrating the fire at the Kingston mansion 27 years ago. And Miss Christine Watson, you are believed to be an accomplice fo
Rosalynn's POV.Early afternoon on Saturday, I impatiently sat in the living room of Nolan's mansion and waited for the team to decrypt the USB I had just found. Looking at the clock as the minutes ticked by, I kept walking back and forth so continuously that Hailey got dizzy and she frowned at me.“Rosa, can you stop walking? You're influencing me to study!” She pouted at me, holding a crayon on her hip, looking very adorable.Today I braided Hailey's hair into pigtails. Every time she bent down to study, the ends of her hair will wiggle with each movement of her pen.I sat down and hugged Hailey and kissed her head affectionately, “I'm sorry, sweetie. So now I'll sit quietly and watch you study, is that okay?"Hailey nodded and then held up the painting she had just completed for me to see with bright eyes. It seems that since childhood, she has loved painting. She is very sensitive to mixing colors, more interested in pictures than numbers. One day when I went to school to pick her
Rosalynn's POV.Mark seemed scared by Nolan's appearance as his face turned pale and all of his aggressive appearance was gone. He glared at his wife and then grabbed his suitcase to leave the house, but Nolan's large body was blocking the door.He didn't dare to speak to Nolan, so he turned and walked back to his room, then slammed the door hard.Mark's wife, her name was Rachael, immediately collapsed to the floor and covered her face, crying helplessly. I moved closer to comfort her, and at the same time, Riley's room door also opened.The little girl, her face filled with tears, ran out and hugged me and her mother. Perhaps I always deeply sympathize with Riley because her eyes are exactly the same as when I was adopted by the Carter family. Every day there would often be thugs coming to collect debt, they would destroy things and my adoptive parents would have to kneel down to beg them. I once desperately begged everyone to spare our family, but at that time I did not understand
Rosalynn's POV.In the middle of the large living room, I sat next to Anne and leaned my head on her shoulder like we were once so close. My eyes looked toward the closed piano box, and a ray of pain gently passed through my heart, making the bridge of my nose sting.Anne patted my shoulder and her warm voice rang out, “Mr. Nolan always cleaned this piano himself without anyone touching it, not even Hailey.”“I know that. A few days ago, Hailey revealed it to me.” I chuckled and sat up straight, holding Anne's hand tightly.When she looked at my face again, tears welled up in her eyes and she pursed her lips to control her choking, “Luckily you're alive and well, Rosa. Where have you been lately? It is said that you have found your family, they are very rich and also love you. I was very worried when I heard you left with nothing."I felt the back of Anne's hand. Because of regular housework, combined with her growing age, her skin has shown signs of aging. Listening to her ask a seri
Rosalynn's POV.I clearly understood what Nolan was about to say, as well as being fully aware of the meaning of today's dinner with our little daughter. But making this sudden decision was very difficult for me.When I saw Mark and the man with freckles on his face walking out of the restaurant together, the first thought that popped into my head was to chase them. They were the most important clues in this case that I was quietly working on, and it seemed like my intuition was right.When I arrived at the parking lot, I hid behind a car parked closest to them and kept quiet about their next movements.“Sir, when will I receive the money you said? We are gradually transferring our convenience store. Before the next term starts, I have to transfer my daughter's school. So please hurry up a bit..." The other Mark's voice was filled with flattery.Right after that, another male voice rang out, that of the man with freckles, "Wait a minute. I will arrange your accommodation when you go t
Nolan's POV.The strong scent of perfume entered my nostrils, making me frown in discomfort. Immediately after, I grabbed Christine's arms and pushed her body, “What the hell are you doing?” I huffed.She was crying with tears streaming down her eyes and her eyes were completely red, but I had been feeling this annoying for a long time.Christine tried to grab my arm even though I pushed her out of the room, “Nolan, do you know what you're doing? We made an appointment last night, but you went to sleep with another woman. She finally…”While scolding me, she pointed at Rosalynn who was sitting up on the bed. Only when her eyes clearly saw Rosalynn did she shut her mouth and her expression revealed an unacceptable look.“That bitch Rosalynn!” She stomped her feet and tried to rush towards the bed, but I quickly grabbed her.Not only was she trembling, but even I felt confused when I saw Christine's presence here. I knew what I was afraid of, what Rosalynn would think about Christine's
[WARNING R-18] THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG READERS.Rosalynn’s POV.After over ten minutes of struggling, I finally managed to get this large man into the elevator. I knew Nolan had a presidential suite on the top floor of the JW Kingston hotel; I just needed him to give me the password to get inside.As we exited the elevator, he started kissing along the side of my face and held me tightly. His hot breath on my skin made me feel flushed.“Nolan, stop messing around.” I pushed his head away after he nibbled on my earlobe.Reaching Nolan's room, I shook him gently and asked, "Hey, what's the room password?"This damned man didn’t answer my question. Instead, he leaned down to bite my lower lip, attempting to kiss me again. Earlier, I had barely managed to push him away to catch my breath, but the drug was taking stronger effect as he clung to my waist.“Damn it!” I lightly tapped his head as he hugged me from behind. Glancing at his face resting on my s