Jessica feared Matthew's return would cause even more pain for Kelly. "Let's wait until Kathryn returns to discuss this further," Chris sensed her reluctance and didn't push the matter further."Alright," Jessica replied briefly before hanging up the phone. Then, she quickly prepared some pasta for Kelly. As she returned home quite late from Skyline Group, she could only prepare a quick meal for Kelly and herself.At the dinner table, silence hung heavy between them. Unlike before, Kelly no longer chattered endlessly during meals. Instead, she quietly ate her pasta. This silence made Jessica hesitate several times as she didn't know where to start.The word "father" had clearly become a forbidden topic between them."Kelly.""Yeah?""If something happens at school, you must tell Mommy. Mommy will handle it," Jessica said.These words finally made Kelly look up at Jessica. "Can I stop going to school?"Jessica felt a pang in her chest. Stop going to school?"But you ..."
Was Bryon planning to remain unmarried and never find another woman to be his wife? Those playboys couldn't comprehend the determination behind Bryon's thoughts.In Huber Bay, just as Kathryn had finished tidying up the house once more, there was another knock at the door to the yard. It had to be Chloe from next door, right? She couldn't have refused to open the door, so she had given up on cooking for now.Kathryn opened the yard's door. A tall and imposing figure greeted her, and due to her height, she could only see Benjamin's chest. A smile played on his lips, and when their eyes met, she was met with the warmth in his gaze. But when she fully saw his face ...Kathryn took a deep breath. She had assumed that Chloe's grandson was just a local young man. But now ..."You're here?" Benjamin spoke with apparent astonishment. This astonishment and shock were evidently due to recognizing Kathryn.Kathryn instinctively swallowed and recognized the man before her. "Hello, Mr. W
Since Lewis had extended the invitation, Chloe had prepared a few special dishes."Kathryn, this fish was caught by Benjamin. It's wild and incredibly nutritious. It's best for you to consume it," she said."Thank you, Mrs. Welfer." Kathryn's taste buds were tingling.After she heard that the fish was caught by Benjamin, she instinctively glanced at him.It was surprising that the heir to the Winchester family, usually burdened with responsibilities, had the time to fish here.At this moment, Benjamin seemed less formal than he did in Harborlean. He was clad in a baseball jersey and appeared relaxed yet crisp."And this cucumber, I grew it myself. It might not look very appealing since I didn't use any pesticides, but you can eat it without worry," Chloe added."Okay, thank you Mrs. Welfer," Kathryn responded promptly, no matter what Chloe said.Benjamin glanced at her with deep, penetrating eyes. That gaze made her extremely uncomfortable.However, Chloe looked at Kathryn in
Kathryn looked at the stern-faced Benjamin with grievance. His expression had lost all its warmth.Benjamin snorted after he observed her sniffle, "Aren't you going to bed? Do you want me to tuck you in?"Kathryn stayed silent, and tears welled up in her eyes. She dared not speak, so she turned and walked toward the courtyard.Thankfully, Benjamin didn't follow her. This had eased Kathryn's anxiety a bit. Once she entered the house, she locked the door and moved the furniture to block it.Benjamin's mouth twitched involuntarily after he heard the furniture being dragged across the floor. Did he look terrifying? Was it necessary to defend herself against him like this?He lingered at the courtyard gate until there was no further activity inside, and the lights were turned off again. Only then did he turn away and leave.But Benjamin didn't head straight back. Instead, he lit a cigarette in a corner near the wall.His phone vibrated. He took it out and saw the name "Susan" flash
Benjamin nodded, "Yeah, the water and electricity of Kathryn's house have been checked."Chloe also nodded. "That's the way to go!"Benjamin furrowed his brow. Then, he gave Chloe a scrutinizing look.She looked at him. "What's the matter?""Why are you so good to Kathryn?" In Benjamin's point of view, Chloe was kind to everyone except Susan.Upon hearing his question, Chloe sighed, "What can I say? I feel sorry for Kathryn. She is pregnant and living in Lewis' old house. Something must have happened to her.""Don't you know that Kathryn is not Lewis' granddaughter?""Of course not. I know all of Lewis' grandchildren. She's not his granddaughter!"Chloe's assumption that Kathryn was Lewis' granddaughter in Kathryn's presence was clearly an attempt to provide comfort and relieve tension. However, this remark only added to the unease in Benjamin's heart."How can you be so considerate and caring toward an outsider while treating Susan so badly all these years ..." His words tr
"Mr. Huber, do you know that Mrs. Welfer's grandson is Mr. Winchester?" Kathryn got straight to the point as there was no time to beat around the bush.On the other end of the line, there was a brief silence. Then, Lewis sighed, "I totally forgot about that. Chloe's daughter has been dead for so many years, it slipped my mind."Kathryn was taken aback. Chloe's daughter was dead? So, Krista was the second wife in the Winchester family? But in upper-class society, very few marriages were without complications. And Kathryn wasn't fixated on this detail. She urgently continued, "I can't stay here. Mr. Winchester recognized me just now."Upon hearing the urgency in Kathryn's voice, Lewis realized the gravity of the situation. He hurriedly responded, "You're right. You can't stay there anymore. Just wait for a moment. I'll send someone to pick you up. Please don't wander alone."After Lewis heard that Benjamin had recognized Kathryn, his main concern was her safety. It was late at
The Winchester and Albert families couldn't do anything with Chris. So, Lewis feared they might cause trouble directly to Kathryn.Chloe heard the news was grave. So, she quickly sat up in bed and reached for her reading glasses on the bedside table."Alright, don't panic about it," she said hurriedly."I'm definitely panicking. Is your granddaughter, Susan, about to marry into the Albert family?" Lewis questioned.Chloe was fine until he mentioned Susan. Her face darkened as soon as her name was uttered."Hey, Susan's not my granddaughter!" She never considered Susan her granddaughter.Lewis didn't have time to argue with her on this matter. "Regardless of whether Susan is your granddaughter or not, the man she was rumored to be engaged to recently was Kathryn's husband!""What? Susan was engaged to a married man? Is the Winchester family shameless?" Chloe questioned."They've agreed to it. Do you call that shameless?" Lewis was quite angry about this.Before Chloe could spea
In the case of the Winchester family, there had always been unilateral communication between Krista and Franco. Chris hadn't appeared in person throughout this affair.Now, upon receiving a call from Benjamin, Chris instinctively snorted. "Why did you call me? You couldn't wait any longer for Susan's marriage?"Chris was fully aware of the Winchesters' actions concerning Kathryn. Before he could retaliate, she vanished without a trace. Despite Chris and his men not locating her yet, did the Winchesters genuinely believe Susan and Chris were in love?Benjamin could feel Chris' hostility even through phone calls. It seemed his aversion to the Winchesters' marriage proposal was genuine.He couldn't help but retort, "Do you really believe the Winchester family is that desperate? It's more like we can't get rid of her fast enough!"Chris shot back, "It's not just desperate—it's akin to trying to sell something nobody wants to buy!"Benjamin was taken aback. What was Chris talking ab
After leaving the Hunt residence, Tally made her way directly to Victor's company.Worried she might lose her way, Drew had been waiting downstairs in anticipation of her arrival.When Tally saw Victor, her face lit up with joy."You should've seen Mr. Hunt Senior's expression earlier. He looked like he wanted to eat me alive." Tally couldn't help but laugh.Victor reached for her hand as they sat down on the couch together. "Were you scared?" he asked.As Tally sat down, she casually looked back and noticed a framed photograph on Victor's desk.Out of curiosity, she picked it up and examined it. But with just one glance, she froze in surprise."When... when was this taken?" she asked. Her shock was evident as she turned to Victor.The picture was taken back when they were at Beverly Peak, during his hospital stay after being bitten by a wolf.She remembered looking after him until she herself fell asleep.In the picture, her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful.Victor
What made it even more absurd was that Elijah bought into it, too.Tally couldn't believe Elijah couldn't see through Markus' façade. He actually bought into Markus' excuse that his behavior was all because of her.And now he was acting like he'd rather die than leave her."Fucking hell," Tally muttered inwardly. She wondered who came up with this messed-up plan for Markus.Clearly, Tally couldn't quite grasp how Markus' mental state could deteriorate like this. However, given his history of going insane, this outrageous plan didn't seem entirely implausible.He was perfectly fine when he was with Albert Group, so how did he end up like this back at Skyline Group?Tally just couldn't figure it out.Elijah shot her a sharp look, gritting his teeth as he said, "You, leave!"Zane hesitated, saying, "Sir, but…""Just let her leave!" Elijah insisted.Elijah's words were punctuated by short, hurried breaths.Tally nodded, saying, "Mr. Hunt Senior, you're indeed the more rational o
Elijah and Zane glanced at each other. Then, their stares turned sharper as they both fixed their eyes on Tally.Tally swallowed nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?""You're not even married to Victor, so why are you calling yourself a married woman?" Elijah snapped, his anger evident.Tally remained silent.Observing Elijah's furious expression, she nonchalantly rummaged through her bag, retrieving the marriage certificate and wedding invitation.Then, she handed them over to Zane.Zane took the documents and swiftly flipped them open. His eyes widened in disbelief as he read through them.He promptly handed both documents over to Elijah.As Elijah took them and examined them, his expression darkened significantly upon seeing Tally and Victor's marriage certificate.He was shocked when he saw that their wedding date was today, along with the printed timestamp.In that instant, Elijah's breathing grew heavier.He glared at Tally with an
Tally was completely baffled by what was happening."I've been straightforward about my feelings for him," Tally complained under her breath.From her perspective, if something were to happen to Markus now, she shouldn't be blamed solely for her decision to get married. Victor nodded, saying, "Yeah, I know."Victor had always been aware of this. By now, Markus had become such a puzzle that Victor couldn't quite figure him out.Considering how clear Tally had always been about her feelings toward Markus, it was puzzling how he got himself involved in this mess.This time, Victor didn't accompany Tally to the Hunt Residence. He believed she could handle the Hunt family on her own.The atmosphere at the Hunt residence was incredibly tense at the moment.The moment Tally stepped inside, she could practically feel the frost coming off Elijah. His gaze seemed to pierce right through her.Zane's tone was far from pleasant as he said, "Um, take a look at this."With that, he passed
Tally was pretty happy a moment ago. But now, she was all worked up talking about the Hunts.Earlier on the road, Tally filled Victor in on the phone call she received from the Hunt residence.Victor's lips twitched as he heard the news. "So Markus left a suicide note and vanished?""Exactly. Can you believe the trouble he's stirring up now?" Tally shook her head incredulously.Tally was utterly exasperated with Markus by now. It had been a while since this whole thing started.She had to admit, these days had been incredibly "fulfilling" for her. It was so fulfilling that it almost left her reeling.And it wasn't just Tally struggling to keep up. Even Victor had been taken aback by how things were unfolding.He shot Tally a look of disbelief. "So you're going to the Hunt residence now?""Yeah, I'm going. I want those Hunts to know that I'm officially yours. Let's see if they have more shameless tricks up their sleeves."When it came to describing the Hunts, Tally summed it up
Tally was beginning to see where Markus got his persistent nature from. It ran in the family. It was as the saying went—like father, like son.No sooner had she ended the call, the phone rang again.Tally took a deep breath, reminding herself that today was supposed to be a happy day, not one filled with annoyance.But dealing with these people…After giving it some thought, she hesitantly answered, "Zane!""Ms. Johnson, you might want to come over to the Hunt residence."Tally asked, "What's going on now?"She was almost out of patience with these people.Zane explained, "Mr. Markus left behind a suicide note."Tally's expression froze in disbelief.A suicide note? Tally couldn't comprehend what was happening. She wondered if Markus was pulling another one of his stunts.It had only been less than an hour since Elijah arranged his marriage, and now he went ahead and left a suicide note."Where is he?" Tally raised an eyebrow.With everything happening so quickly, it all f
Looking at her identification papers, Tally let out a sigh of relief.Fortunately, Tally had some knowledge of her father's habits. Otherwise, guessing the password for the safe, which belonged to her comatose father, would have been a daunting task.When Irina called, Tally answered, "Hey, Irina.""Guess what? Markus is engaged!""What?" Tally was shocked.Irina shared her surprise."This time, it seems Mr. Hunt Senior might genuinely have it out for you. We haven't even made a move, and suddenly they're announcing Markus and Sarah's engagement.""Sarah?" Tally was even more surprised.It was only today that they found out who had been secretly admiring Markus. Before they could even step in, Elijah had taken the initiative.It seemed like all these years, Elijah appeared unconcerned, but he actually knew everything.But if he was dead set on hating her, then so be it. Tally couldn't care less.On the other hand, if Elijah truly desired for her and Markus to be together all
Elijah said, "Very well, then."Thinking about his troublesome son, Elijah wondered how he hadn't noticed Markus' extremity in his romantic pursuits before.Elijah was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath.Giving Markus a fierce look, he tried to hold back. Despite that, he couldn't resist putting in one final word, "No matter how much you want to be with Tally, I won't allow it."This time, there was no room for negotiation.At Elijah's words, Markus' eyes turned cold. "I'm afraid you have no say in this.""You..." Elijah's breath hitched as he heard Markus' retort. In a fit of rage, he grabbed a teacup and hurled it toward him.At that moment, Elijah felt an overwhelming urge to lash out at Markus.Elijah insisted, "Regardless of your decision, you and Sarah are officially engaged starting today."His tone was unusually firm.At this point, Elijah wasn't asking for Markus' opinion. He was simply informing him.Regarding Tally becoming Elijah's daughter-in-law, Elijah
Kathryn was confused when Jessica suddenly shoved her into the car and promptly closed the door. With her hand still gripping the door handle, Kathryn looked up at Jessica and suggested, "Uh, how about dinner tonight?"Upon hearing Kathryn's dinner suggestion, Jessica paused before nodding and responding, "Let's talk about it later. I'll give you a call."Jessica seemed really busy, and Kathryn could tell from the way she talked that she was in a rush.Kathryn couldn't help but feel for Jessica as she watched her close the car door and hurried off toward the nearby office building, waving goodbye as she went.Kathryn found herself wondering who Jessica was in such a rush to meet.Kathryn couldn't resist stealing a glance back as the car pulled away. In that brief moment, Kathryn's heart skipped a beat as she saw Jessica walking alongside Lloyd. They were heading toward the glass doors of the building.Before Kathryn could double-check what she saw, the car had already turned.