After finishing their meal, Eugene suggested they stroll around the mall a bit longer, but Lydia looked visibly exhausted. “I didn’t sleep well last night, and I really need to catch up on some rest,” she explained. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Eugene could only nod, despite wanting to spend more time with her. “Alright, I’ll take you home so you can get some sleep.”They hadn’t had time to pick out the skincare products, so Eugene took matters into his own hands. He bought every skincare set for older women from the brand, even throwing in the extra serums. The sales associate's grin widened as she rang up the purchase. “Wow, you’re really generous! With this many sets, three people could use them and still have some left over.”“These are all for her mom. I wasn’t sure which set she’d prefer, so I thought I’d get a few and let her decide,” Eugene explained, keeping his gaze on Lydia.The sales associates, quick to pick up on things, immediately realized he meant f
It was quite a coincidence.They had parked their car in the underground garage and were just about to head out when they overheard Quincy’s voice from a distance. He was speaking calmly, trying to reason with someone. “Yes, I did rear-end your car, and I’ve taken photos. Let’s handle it through insurance.”“No way! You think I’m just gonna wait around for insurance? This is a luxury car. I want ten thousand in cash. Not a penny less!” The man was relentless, refusing to budge.He even turned his attention to Tiffany, standing nearby, and sneered, “You two lovebirds in a hurry to get hitched or what? Are you blind? Can’t drive straight?”“I’ll take responsibility, but please watch your language. There’s no need for personal attacks,” Quincy replied, barely keeping his anger in check.Lydia stood nearby, feeling a wave of sympathy as she watched the scene unfold. It reminded her of when Quincy had first started his business, spending countless nights wining and dining potential c
“Eugene? What are you two talking about?” Lydia walked over, looking at them both with curiosity.Eugene immediately took a step back from Quincy, smiling casually. “Oh, nothing important. Let’s go. I’ll take you back. We picked up all these gifts, and I’m sure your mom will love them.”As Lydia and Eugene walked off, Quincy felt an intense urge to go after them, to catch up and set things right. But he held himself back. He knew that until he had resolved his own family issues, he shouldn’t pull Lydia into any more of his problems.Tiffany wasted no time piling on, trying to sway him again. “Quincy, did you see that? I’ve been trying to tell you how she really is, but you never want to listen. But there they were, flaunting it right in front of us.”She sidled closer to Quincy, subtly trying to take his arm, but he quickly stepped aside. “Get in the car. I’ll drive you to the hospital,” he said, brushing her off.“Alright, let’s go. Your mom and cousin are waiting for us. It woul
"What could possibly be wrong with me? You all know that I’m not really sick. I'm just putting on a show for Quincy. If I didn’t, he’d still be under that little witch’s spell." Mrs. Perez waved off the matter as if it were nothing. Pretending to be sick wouldn’t make her actually sick, right?Her main concern remained her son. “Tiffany, I'm counting on you to help Quincy move on. I can’t let that woman keep dragging him down. I went through all the trouble of getting rid of the child so they could sever ties once and for all.”Mabel's expression faltered for a moment. She glanced at the gifts sitting nearby and swallowed back her response."I understand, Mrs. Perez," Tiffany replied confidently. “A man can’t resist a woman’s care when he’s at his weakest, especially when Lydia’s already found someone else. If we keep working together, there's no way they'll ever get back together.”The saying goes, "It takes one to know one." Today, when Tiffany saw Eugene, she could tell right aw
After setting down her phone, Mrs. Perez continued to criticize Lydia, egged on by Tiffany. The conversation flowed easily between them, filling the hospital room with laughter and smug remarks. That was, until Quincy opened the door, his face red with anger as he glared at everyone inside. “What are you doing? Why do you keep going after Lydia like this?” He was furious at the way they were gossiping about her, slandering her character without a second thought. “Quincy, your mom is sick. You can’t just come in here and start shouting,” Tiffany said in a falsely sweet voice, stepping over to him and taking his hand. “If you don’t like the topic, we can stop talking about it.”“Cut the act, Tiffany. Your performance is terrible.” Quincy shot back, unphased. He had overheard enough standing outside the door to realize just how well Tiffany and his mother worked together. He had even been thinking earlier about treating his mom with more care, but what he had just heard felt like
They truly did not even know how to lie convincingly. Or maybe they thought that just because he was their son, they could do anything, and it would never be wrong. In their minds, as long as there was a blood connection, children could not actually go against their parents. If they dared to, they would be considered ungrateful. That was a heavy label, and most kids would end up giving in.“But you’re forgetting something. Lydia is the daughter of the Fay family. She chose to marry me, to be my wife, and that doesn’t mean her status is beneath mine or that you can treat her however you please!”When Mrs. Perez married Mr. Perez, they lived in a rural area where her mother-in-law was relentless, picking on her every day. It wasn’t until they worked hard, bought a house in the city, and started living separately that things finally improved. Mrs. Perez had endured her mother-in-law’s bullying with no recourse, but Lydia was a different story.Her face changed as she realized this.
"How about we take a walk in the garden, sweetie?" Nina suggested as she sat down next to her son, Orion. At six or seven years old, he was at such a lively age. She hated having to keep him cooped up in the house, but it was necessary for his safety. If Orion were to run into danger again, there would be no guarantee he would come back. Those people wouldn't spare him just because he was young."Okay," Orion agreed, putting down his building blocks and standing up. He glanced over at Gemma, lying in her crib, and sighed. "I wish she could grow up faster so she could play with me.""Once your dad catches those bad guys, you’ll be able to go out with your friends again. And before you know it, your sister will be big enough to play with you," Nina said, taking his hand as they headed out to the garden. Gemma was in good hands with their housekeeper, Mrs. Watson. It was the perfect time of year, with most of the flowers in bloom. Orion had a wonderful time playing with Nina in th
"Alright, I promise. Stay home and be good, I’ll be back soon," Nina waved to Orion, then slipped on her sneakers and headed out. She grabbed a car from the garage and quickly drove toward the company.As she passed through a busy intersection, she didn’t notice the car that had started trailing her, maintaining a steady distance. Soon, she pulled up outside the company building. The receptionist recognized her and greeted her warmly, "Hello, Mrs. York.""Hello. You go ahead, don't mind me," Nina replied, quickening her pace. She took the private elevator up to the top-floor conference room and handed the file over to Nash. They didn’t say much to each other in front of everyone, but after all these years, a single glance was all it took to understand one another. It was a little secret between them.As she was leaving, Nina ran into Nash’s new assistant, and they exchanged a quick hello. Not giving it much thought, she headed over to the nearby mall, planning to pick up some fast
Winnie reacted strongly, refusing to believe any of it. “We’ve known each other for so long. He’s always been so good to me, and he’s incredibly dedicated to his work. He’s an exceptional lawyer. How could he possibly do something like this? You have to investigate thoroughly and clear his name,” she said, her voice trembling. The captain waited until she finished before asking, “Miss Lewis, just now you called him ‘Jack.’ Is that right?” “Yes, that’s his name, Jack Green. We’re engaged, and we’re getting married soon. Is there a problem with me calling him that?” Winnie responded, momentarily stunned. Her first thought was that the captain was being unnecessarily nosy. Was it wrong for an engaged couple to call each other by their first names?The captain shook his head. “This has nothing to do with your upcoming marriage, but the name you’re using doesn’t match the one on his ID. Were you aware of that?” “You’re joking, right? That’s not funny,” Winnie said, her face
While Nash spent time with his daughter, Gemma, every day, Nina and Pharaoh had missed out on so much together. Now that the doctors had given Pharaoh only five years to live, it was clear they needed to make the most of the time they had left and create as many good memories as possible.Lydia completely understood.She waved goodbye to Nash, then linked her arm through Quincy’s as the two walked toward their parked car.“I was thinking that, since work has been slow, we could take a short trip to a nearby city,” Quincy said, glancing at her with a warm expression. “But it looks like we’ll have to postpone it.”With her by his side, life felt perfect.Lydia smiled. “If not this week, then next week or the one after. We’ve got all the time in the world.”They were still young, with plenty of time to do everything they wanted.……Meanwhile, Winnie was left alone at home since Jamie went out to work. With nothing else to do, she decided to tidy up. The villa was large, and clea
Nash was the first to speak. “Mrs. Lucas, what exactly happened to Ben? Can you tell us everything? Let’s see if there’s a way we can help.”“Alright. Thank goodness he has friends like you. Otherwise, I’d have no idea what to do right now.” Mrs. Lucas recounted the situation in detail but carefully omitted her own involvement.The living room fell silent, and everyone’s expressions darkened.“I raised Ben. I know my son. He would never do something like this. It must be a setup,” Mrs. Lucas said, her voice trembling with emotion. The more she spoke, the more heartbroken she felt. All she could think about now were her Ben’s virtues. Apart from refusing to listen to her about marriage and career plans, Ben had always been a good son.“Don’t worry, Mrs. Lucas. We’ll figure something out,” Lydia offered as she stood and gently guided Mrs. Lucas to the nearby study. “You should rest for a bit. Don’t wear yourself out.”Quincy watched Lydia closely as she left the room. Only when sh
Mrs. Lucas deeply regretted her decision. If she had known it would come to this, she would never have sought out this man for help. “You hide behind a mask and won’t even show your face. How can you call yourself a man?”“Mrs. Lucas, do you really think throwing insults will make me take off the mask and obediently do your bidding like a dog?” The masked man remained calm, his tone even laced with amusement, which only added to Mrs. Lucas’s frustration.She was on the verge of breaking down. “Just name your price. How much will it take to get my son out of there?”As long as Ben could walk out safely and unharmed, no amount of money was too much.But the masked man shook his head. “This isn’t about money. If it were that simple, you wouldn’t be here begging me for help.”The truth was, Mrs. Lucas had come to him because she had run out of options. He was her last hope. Yet, he shrugged nonchalantly, as if to show her just how powerless he really was.“I don’t make the laws, an
Why would Caden do this?“And then there’s that recent case you handled. The client is suspected of laundering money for an international corporation, and these are the ‘evidences’ you submitted.” The captain’s brows furrowed as he pulled a file from the side, placing it in front of Ben. “Take a look at what you turned in.”The documents were full of evasive arguments, but the worst part was that a check had somehow been slipped between the pages. With all this evidence piled up against him, even as a lawyer, Ben had no way to prove his innocence.He had no idea how things had come to this. He had personally organized and submitted these files to the court, but the ones on record were completely different. Someone had swapped them out.But who?Ben handled everything himself, except for having his assistant print the documents. Could it be…?“Mr. Lucas, the evidence is overwhelming. You’d better think about how to clear your name,” the captain said, standing up and looking at Ben
“Please come with us,” one of the officers stepped up, holding a pair of silver handcuffs.Ben was even more puzzled. He hadn’t done anything illegal. Why were these officers showing up at his office? And why the cuffs?His first reaction was to step back. “You must have the wrong person.”“Your name is Ben Lucas, right? We’ve already matched your photo. I suggest you don’t resist and just come along quietly,” the officer barked.They wouldn’t be here without solid evidence. There was no mistake.“If you’re taking me in, I’d like to know the reason,” Ben replied, still trying to make sense of what was happening.To the officers, his reaction came across as defiant, making him look even more suspicious.“Don’t tell me you’re unaware of your own wrongdoing? You’re supposed to be a lawyer, familiar with the law. How convenient to play ignorant when it applies to you!“Think carefully! Confess, and things might go easier for you. Resist, and you’ll only make it worse. Don’t interfe
How could Jamie feel right about taking the money? In just a few days, Winnie had already lent her so much. She couldn’t keep taking advantage of her.“Jamie, if I were living alone, I wouldn’t care so much. But now, with Jack and the baby on the way, it’s unrealistic for us to keep living together forever. Take this money. It’s enough to cover at least half a month’s rent,” Winnie said firmly.Jamie could hear the underlying message. Winnie was trying to hint, as gently as possible, that it might be time for Jamie to find her own place. It made sense. Winnie was building her own family and naturally wanted privacy. Having a relative around wasn’t exactly ideal, especially with everything Ben had been doing lately. While he hadn’t openly revealed anything about their past, it was clear enough that Winnie had noticed something.Jamie truly wanted to move out, but the moment she started looking for a place, Ben would make her life difficult. She didn’t mind for herself, but with
The next morning, Ben opened his eyes. He immediately noticed the blanket covering him. Could Jamie have been the one taking care of him last night?He sat up, only to see Winnie sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor.“You’re awake? You were so drunk last night that you passed out on the way home. It was a struggle just getting you here. I even tried to wake you up for some tea to help sober you up, but you were completely out,” Winnie said as she woke up, too.After straightening up the living room a bit, she went to the kitchen and came back with a mug of warm herbal tea. “I’m guessing the hangover’s mostly gone, so you probably don’t need anything strong. But this will soothe your throat.”“You don’t have to go through all this trouble,” Ben replied, placing the mug on the coffee table without drinking it.Ben looked around the room. It was just the two of them. Where had Jamie gone?The thought nagged at him, so he asked directly.“Jack, I’m not sure if I should say this…
“He… likes my sister?” The shocking thought had barely surfaced before it jolted Winnie. “You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not Winnie,” Jamie quickly pushed Ben toward Winnie’s side.A look of irritation crossed Ben’s face. It was Jamie he wanted to hold. What did Winnie have to do with him?Annoyed, he grumbled, “Why do you keep pushing me away?”“Jack, you’re mistaken. I’m your fiancée!” Winnie finally couldn’t hold back anymore. She strode over, took Ben’s hand, and placed it around her waist. “I get that my sister and I look a bit alike, but you can’t keep confusing us like this!”She had brushed it off the first couple of times, but this was going too far.Ben still seemed inclined to push her away.Just then, the taxi arrived, and Jamie opened the front passenger door, slipping inside. Seeing this, Ben staggered in her direction, while Winnie hurried to open the back door for him.Once inside, Ben leaned back in the seat and fell asleep almost immediately.Not wanti