"Even without all this, I’d still believe you. You’d never do something like that to me," Quincy said softly."Quincy!" Lydia cried out, throwing herself into his arms.She cried hard, her tears flowing, but deep inside, her heart felt warm and light. As long as Quincy believed her, that was all that mattered.Quincy immediately had the PR team working around the clock to squash the online rumors. They threw tens of thousands at the problem, sending cease-and-desist letters, and the whole company was scrambling to get a handle on the situation. But it seemed like there was a force behind the scenes pushing the rumors to spread even further.Despite all their efforts, the gossip was out of control. A few days later, Lydia’s parents found out.Mrs. Fay called immediately, though it was clear Mr. Fay was the one who wanted answers. She was just the messenger."What’s going on between you and that boy from the Ford family? Didn’t you say you didn’t like him?" Mrs. Fay asked, soundi
Even Quincy was a bit puzzled by the sudden request from his parents to meet Lydia, but he didn’t dwell on it. He assumed they simply wanted to meet their daughter-in-law. He reassured Lydia, “We’ve already gotten married, but my parents haven’t met you yet. This is just a good chance for them to finally see you.”“Alright,” Lydia agreed, though still a little nervous.“Don’t worry, they won’t make things difficult for you.”With Quincy’s constant reassurance, Lydia felt a little more at ease. She reminded herself that meeting the in-laws was inevitable, and they were actually a bit late in doing so, considering they were already married.Quincy didn’t come from a wealthy background. His family was middle-class, living in an older apartment on the outskirts of town. Their office was downtown, so even though it wasn’t far, the traffic made the trip longer than usual.As Lydia watched the older buildings flash by outside the window, she turned to Quincy and asked, “Why didn’t you
Lydia cradled the cup in her hands. The temperature was perfect, not too hot. It was clear that Quincy had clearly checked beforehand.She glanced over at him and saw him peeling roasted chestnuts for her, and her heart instantly felt warm. Lydia was sensitive to both heat and cold, and many people, including her own parents, had called her spoiled. But Quincy never complained. He always took care of her, quietly and willingly, without a word of protest.From the kitchen came the sounds of clattering pots and the rich aroma of stir-fried vegetables. Meanwhile, Lydia and Quincy exchanged light conversation in the living room.The smile on Lydia’s face revealed that it wasn’t so much a conversation as it was Quincy trying to make her laugh and lift her spirits.Watching from the kitchen, Mrs. Perez narrowed her eyes. The more she looked at Lydia, the more displeased she became. "Look at him, fussing over her like that. I can hardly believe that’s our son," she muttered, casting L
Lydia's face turned pale as all the blood seemed to drain from her body. Her hands trembled slightly, and she could feel every muscle in her chest tightening painfully. Quincy clenched his fists, barely containing his frustration."You're being too harsh. This isn’t Lydia’s fault, and you owe her an apology," Quincy demanded, his voice firm.Mrs. Perez scoffed. "Fine, I’ll apologize," she said, though her tone was anything but sincere. "Miss Lydia, I hope you can understand. While we may not be some grand, wealthy family, both Quincy’s father and I have spent our lives in education. We come from a respectable background, and quite frankly, our family can’t accept someone like you."She didn’t mince words, and the effect was immediate.Lydia felt like she had been stripped bare and tossed out into the street, vulnerable and humiliated. A fire of shame burned in her chest, making it hard to breathe. Every part of her body screamed for her to leave this place, to escape the suffocat
The car pulled up in front of a three-story villa. Eugene glanced over at Lydia and suggested she come inside to change out of her wet clothes. Lydia, finally speaking for the first time since getting into his car, shook her head. “I’m not going in. Just drop me off somewhere. I can find my way back.”Eugene raised an eyebrow and pointed outside. “You really want to sit on the side of the road like this?”Lydia looked down at her soaked clothes, clinging tightly to her body, outlining every curve. Panic crossed her face as she realized how exposed she was but couldn’t figure out what to cover first.Without saying anything more, Eugene turned and unlocked the front door, his demeanor calm and unfazed. After hesitating for a moment, Lydia followed him inside. She wasn’t sure about Eugene’s intentions, but she knew it was safer to be indoors than stranded in the middle of the night.The interior of the villa was minimalist, much like Eugene himself—cold, distant, and seemingly un
Eugene didn’t pressure Lydia to give him an answer right away. He simply gave her a guest room to rest. At this point, Lydia wasn’t sure where else she could go. She had turned off her phone and didn’t want to see Quincy. She couldn’t face going home, so she silently agreed to stay.The next morning, after turning her phone back on, she found more than a dozen missed calls, all from Quincy.“Miss Lydia?” came a knock at the door, followed by a voice she didn’t recognize. “Are you awake?”Lydia opened the door to find a middle-aged woman with a kind face, holding a bowl of chicken soup. The faint aroma made her stomach rumble.Seeing Lydia’s confused expression, the woman quickly explained, “I’m the housekeeper here, you can call me Mrs. Lucy. Mr. Ford told me not to disturb you, but it’s almost noon, and I was worried you hadn’t eaten yet. So, I brought some congee for you.”She placed the bowl on the nearby table.“Did Eugene ask you to do this?” Lydia asked.“Sort of,” Mrs.
Eugene’s lips pressed into a thin line, his dark eyes staring off into nowhere. Finally, the project leader, his voice hoarse from presenting, paused and looked at him expectantly. “Mr. Ford, what do you think?”“It’s fine,” Eugene replied dismissively, rising from his seat without much interest. “Let’s go with that.”Without waiting for a reaction from his bewildered employees, Eugene left the room. As soon as he stepped outside, his assistant hurried up to him, looking flustered. “Mr. Ford! There’s someone here, demanding to see you.”Eugene paused mid-step. Moments later, he was downstairs, and as expected, he came face to face with Quincy. The tension between them was palpable, even more intense than it had been on the yacht. Both men stood rigid, cold expressions on their faces, as if a fight could break out at any moment.The receptionist, sensing the hostility, looked on nervously, fearing she might get caught in the middle of whatever was about to unfold.“Where is Lydia
With a dark expression, Eugene moved closer and gently placed the back of his hand on Lydia’s forehead to check her temperature. The heat radiating from her skin only deepened his frown. He pulled his hand back, preparing to call the family doctor, but before he could move, Lydia’s hand gripped his. He froze, looking down at her pale face, surprised that she was holding onto him so tightly. Mrs. Lucy and his assistant were both watching, adding an awkward tension to the room. Eugene’s lips began to curve slightly in response, but the name Lydia mumbled next immediately wiped away any hint of a smile. “Quincy…”Eugene quickly withdrew his hand, his face hardening. “Mr. Ford, I’ll go call Dr. Neil now,” the assistant said hurriedly, eager to break the silence. Mrs. Lucy, sensing the tension, also found an excuse to leave the room.It wasn’t long before the family doctor arrived. He checked Lydia’s temperature and proceeded through the usual steps which included taking vitals