A contract marriage? Winston was close to fainting as he fought against the urge to slap Jasper. However, he was the most puzzled by his daughter.He thought it was outrageous enough that his brazen daughter went to serve as a war medic on the battlefield. To his dismay, she had gotten married without his knowledge in the three years she was gone. Worse, she was involved in a contract marriage with Jasper.He really wanted to know what was going on in her mind.Jasper felt his eyes growing heavy with tears. There was a suffocating burden on his chest.Now that she was on the verge of leaving him for good and sealing the unhappy chapters of their lives during Newton's birthday, Jasper demanded an answer for the separation."If I recall correctly, our first encounter happened three years ago. Why didn't you reject Grandpa's suggestion of marrying me? Why?"Alyssa squinted at him without any feeling. "Why are you dwelling on the details after the divorce? Maybe I had nothing bette
The Becketts might be one of the established elites in Solana City, but the stock price of the Beckett Group would have doubled following the news of the marriage with the Taylor Family.Alas, it was too late.…In the dark of the night, Alyssa looked out of the window with a vacant look and an empty heart. She replayed the memory of Jasper's shattered expression when he demanded to know why she had married him in the first place. Somehow, looking at the frustration and indignance on his face, she felt like she had abandoned him.She clenched her fist and shook her head hard. She reminded herself not to spare any sympathy for men, for that was how tragedies start.Jasper couldn't possibly fall in love with her now, not after she had waited for him for three years to no avail. Perhaps he had only pretended to look resentful and bitter in front of Winston to absolve himself of his cruelness in their marriage."So, why did you marry him?" Winston gritted his teeth and cracked his
After the birthday event, Newton called his family doctor to check on Lauren out of worry. He felt relieved when the doctor reported that everything was fine with her.In the corridor, two good-looking men leaned against the window sill. Jasper asked Landon for a cigarette, which he lit and took a long drag. The orange flame flickered between the willowing smoke."So, is Alice Alyssa Taylor, the unknown daughter of one of Winston Taylor's wives?" Landon felt that he was in a dream. The entire situation was rather inconceivable."Yeah." Jasper's fingers trembled when he flicked the ash."Fuck! Jasper, you hit the jackpot. How did you land this windfall?" Landon patted Jasper's shoulder as his eyes sparkled. "You turned out to be Winston Taylor's ex-son-in-law by accident. "Would you have taken off to greater heights if you didn't divorce her? With the backing of the Taylor Family, your dad and your evil stepmother would have to submit to you. You could do anything with the Beckett
Jasper never believed in coincidences. Still, when it involved Liana, he fervently wished that everything that had happened was a coincidence."Mr. Beckett!" Xavier jogged up to him, panting, and handed him a phone with both hands. "Here is the footage of Madam Sophia, Ms. Betty, and Ms. Gardner's activities from tonight that you requested! I gathered the files. Please take a look!""My guy, you're fast!" Landon changed his mind about leaving and went up to take a look.Jasper carefully poured through the footage, holding his breath."Looking at the footage, Ms. Gardner not only interacted frequently with Madam Sophia, but she also contacted Ms. Betty in private. What's more bizarre …" A gleam flashed across Xavier's eyes. "... is that Ms. Gardner did not show up in the vicinity when I checked the footage of Mr. Jonah and Ms. Alyssa entering the room.""Hah, that's interesting." Landon sneered. "If she wasn't even in the area, how did she know that Mr. Jonah and Ms. Alyssa were sh
Jasper was numb and calm, but his curt remark was damaging to Liana. She froze up and felt her cheeks burning in shame. It was as though she had been slapped a few times.Javier and Sophia were stunned by the turn of events. Only Betty had a guileful smile on her face. After the events from that night, she had seen Liana for who she was—an obnoxiously conceited bitch who had manipulated her to attack the others. Liana was unsuitable to marry into their family. Betty even hoped Jasper would cut Liana off forever instead of pausing the marriage."Jasper, are you giving me up?" Shocked and scared, Liana held to his arm as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Are you ditching me after you learned that Alice White is from the Taylor family? Did you regret your divorce?""Alice White or Alyssa Taylor, she has no bearing on my decision to put a halt to our marriage." He slowly but surely freed his arm from her grip. There was nothing but coldness in his eyes. He continued, "I've warned you n
"Jasper did not even inform us when he decided on the divorce. Of course, he wouldn't tell me his intention to call off the marriage!""Those are different things!" Sophia's voice was shrill, unlike her usual comforting tone. "Jasper does not love Alyssa Taylor at all. Unlike Alyssa, Lia is Jasper's childhood sweetheart. They have a deep bond!""Right. That's beyond me too. If they share a deep bond, what else did Liana want from him? Why couldn't she behave instead of stirring trouble with Ms. Alyssa? "She has humiliated our family with the infidelity drama in front of Dad. I will not help her this time, and I can't guarantee whether the marriage will happen!"His chest tightened when he recalled Newton's taunt. "I wouldn't have advised Jasper to seek divorce if I had known better. Liana is not the right match for our family; worse, she's a troublemaker. It's indeed hard to get along with those from different backgrounds!"Sophia's shoulders slumped when she realized that Javier
Liana was baffled by Sophia's slap."I warned you not to drag Betty into any plan of yours, or I won't help you out!""Aunt Sophia, I was wrong! It was a careless mistake! I will not do it again." Despite the boiling hatred in her, Liana had to beg for forgiveness repeatedly.Sophia looked at the lowly woman with disdain. She wouldn't have helped a stubborn and manipulative woman like Liana to marry Jasper if only there were a better candidate from the Kirkman Family.Still, she refused to give up on Liana after many years of grooming her niece. Disgusted by the night's events, she felt like she had swallowed a fly. Still, she had to endure the setback."Alice White is the daughter of the distinguished Taylor family. You cannot lay a finger on her. Winston Taylor is known for doting on his children. Your top priority is to win Jasper's heart and marry him according to the plan!" Sophia looked terrifying with her taut lips and the bright red lipstick."But he makes it clear that h
"How about the Beckett Group?" Alyssa asked."I heard they didn't make any progress too.""It's good to know that we haven't fallen behind. We're still on the starting line just like they are.""But we have more competitors than the Beckett Group! I heard that ten luxury hotels across the nation are fighting to host Ada Kingsley's wedding!""The Beckett Group and the Taylor Group are the benchmark for hotels in the nation. Ada Kingsley is too fussy to host her wedding in smaller hotels." She took a bite of the sandwich and squinted. She continued, "Keep in touch with her team. I want to move her with sincerity. She has an event in the country at the start of next month, where I'll meet her in person and secure the deal. Time for the Beckett Group to give up!"Whoever messed with her business deals would have to suffer. …Many young couples were waiting for their turn at the entrance to the city hall early in the morning. They were either hugging or taking photos sweetly.The