At that moment, Tatiana stood up with a wine glass in her hand. "Why don't we drink a toast to Lyse? Here's to you reaching new heights in your career, and may everything go smoothly for you.""Gosh, I love what you just said. Come, I'll give you a kiss!" Alyssa chirped and downed her wine before blowing a kiss to her sister.Tatiana lowered her gaze shyly and blushed."Let's all drink to Lyse! All the best for Lyse! Cheers!" The other siblings raised their glass tipsily and passionately.The sincere faces around Alyssa and the clinking of glasses brought tears to her eyes.…The dinner ended on a high note. Alyssa hugged Liam warmly. They had been laughing and joking during dinner, but when it was time to go, they both teared up.Liam's division was stationed not too far away in Leichtown. However, his demanding role required frequent months-long trips, which did not allow him many chances to reunite with his family."Will you be back for Lyla's birthday?" Alyssa ran her hand
Tatiana instantly sobered up when Sean hugged her. Her entire face and neck blushed from the exchange between them."Ms. Tatiana, look out," Sean warned. He thought she was drunk from the way she failed to steady herself. Concerned, he pulled her closer with his hand on her waist.All of a sudden, his heart skipped a beat, and his throat went dry. He couldn't help but admire Tatiana's tiny waist in his grip.Still, as a gentleman, he quickly pulled himself together without betraying any hint of desire."Sean, please send Taty back. Thanks!" Alyssa yelled. She had always been observant, but she was much more relaxed and careless around family. Up until then, she failed to pick up the subtle tension between Sean and Tatiana.She waved at them and left, arm-in-arm with Jonah. It was only Tatiana and Sean alone after that. The air between them froze, leaving them rather flustered."Um, Lyse! Lyse!" Tatiana called out feebly, her heart pumping wild.Sean reassured her with a straig
On their way home, Alyssa grew drowsy as she rested her head on Jonah's shoulder. She had initially planned to ask Jonah what Liam had said to Jasper, but she quickly dismissed the thought, knowing it likely wasn't pleasant. Liam might appear soft and kind, but he could be more sharp-tongued than she was.She didn't want to hear what Liam had said about Jasper, not because she felt sorry for Jasper. Rather, she would be upset if her family disrespected the man she once loved with all her heart."Lyse, are you asleep?" Jonah suddenly whispered."No. What is it, Jonah?" she replied, her mind drifting."Can you sense it, too?"She cast him a confounding look.Jonah smiled. "Did you notice something between Sean and Taty? I could be mistaken, but I have a feeling they might be flirting."Oh.Wait. Flirting?She widened her eyes as she stared agape at him. "Jonah, did you have too much to drink? You're joking, right?""I don't joke about matters of the heart. You probably di
Alyssa's chest felt heavy, and she instinctively curled her numb fingers in response to the unsettling sensation.She couldn't help but wonder why Jasper had never treated Alice White as kindly as he had treated her, Alyssa Taylor."Jonah, I know my likes and dislikes. Maybe you're right—a relationship is never black and white, but that doesn't apply to me because I know what I want," she declared in a teary voice and gazed out the window. "My relationship with Jasper is complicated, but I no longer have any affection for him. I'll never repeat my mistake—wasting my youth on a man is a silly decision with no reward," Alyssa asserted. …Silence enveloped Sean and Tatiana as they journeyed back to her campus, each lost in their thoughts. The Porsche came to a halt at the school's quiet entrance in the middle of the night.Seated in the car, they both seemed to share an unspoken agreement not to get out. The crescent moon cast a soft light over the land, adding a romantic touch to
The moment Tatiana saw that woman, her pupils wavered as she trembled more violently in Sean's embrace. The woman was Brie Caldwell, a fellow student at the same school with the same major as Tatiana. Brie had caused trouble on numerous occasions, subjecting Tatiana to bullying and humiliation.Sean suddenly remembered that Alyssa had mentioned Tatiana's fear of crossing roads and speeding cars.When Lyla married Winston, their children were still quite young. Some jealous adversaries of Winston attempted to harm his children when they couldn't bring him down.At that time, their opponent assumed that Lyla was Winston's least favorite wife and that her child was also the least favored. This adversary went to the extreme of hiring assassins to target Tatiana, who was just seven years old, as revenge against Winston for winning business deals against them.Although Tatiana survived the incident with minor injuries and Winston completely decimated said opponent, she was traumatize
The driver threw a wad of cash at Sean like it was toilet paper."You—" Sean shot a fierce glare at the man behind the wheel. The Laferrari roared to life and swiftly disappeared into the night.Meanwhile, Tatiana trembled, her expression contorted into a deep frown as she witnessed Sean's humiliation."Gentleman, that's Mr. Schmidt's reward for you. Take it," Brie said. Once Josh was gone, she no longer put up a front.She leaned toward Sean, puffing her voluminous chest, and touched him on his sleeve. Brie began, "You look incredibly hot and refined. Why would you want to date a bitch? It's a blemish on your image. Why don't you—ugh!"Sean abruptly stepped back, his face stern. Brie, who had leaned into him, lost her balance and knelt on the floor.Tatiana couldn't help but chuckle, her hand covering her mouth."That hurts! Shit!" Brie cussed, feeling that her kneecaps had shattered from the fall. She couldn't stand up in pain and cast a teary glance at Sean as she pleaded,
During Tatiana's four years at the Solana Film Academy, Brie had worked with other schoolmates to give her trouble. Tatiana was a meek personality, so she endured the bullying to avoid escalation.However, Tatiana's fear gave way to a surge of anger after she witnessed Sean being humiliated by Josh and saw Brie making advances toward Sean. Tatiana had a steely look in her eyes and continued walking, completely ignoring Brie's provocation."Cheap bitch! Tatiana Taylor, stop right there!" Brie called out, but Tatiana maintained her stride.Tatiana eventually halted and turned around slowly. She grinned as Brie panted and limped toward her with bruised and bloodied knees.She questioned, "Cheap bitch? Who are you talking about?""The nerve to ask! It's you, of course!" Brie momentarily brushed aside her physical pain to seek vengeance."Oh, I thought you were introducing yourself for a moment," Tatiana teased her without any change in expression. That caught Brie by surprise, for
After Jasper was discharged from the hospital, he worked hard for three full days to clear the backlog of work that had piled up. Given his unstable health condition, he relied on supplements and Alyssa's prescribed medications to keep himself going.Apart from that, Xavier would apply the external creams and ointments daily onto Jasper's wounds. With all the effort, Jasper hoped he would recover soon. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to offer Alyssa any protection with his ailing body."Mr. Beckett, it's time to take your medication," Xavier announced as he brought the pills and a bottle of water on a tray. Jasper was in the midst of approving some documents and responded, "I'm busy now. Later.""Um, if you don't take your medications on time, I'll report it to Madam," Xavier declared. "She reached out to me that day and reminded me to make sure you take your medications on time. I'll need to report any issues to her right away. She'll be upset to learn that you're not listening."