The bodyguard maintained his formal smile. "Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter is waiting for you. You should go now."Rosalie stood up, ready to leave, but just then, a weak voice came from the bed. "Mommy.""Nana." Rosalie immediately sat back down and held Nana's hand tightly.Nana slowly opened her eyes. "Mommy, it hurts."Sensing something, Nana felt tears well up in her eyes and stream down her face."Nana, everything will be alright." Rosalie's heart ached."Mrs. Carter," the bodyguard reminded from behind, "you should go now. If Mr. Carter becomes impatient, he might blame Nana."He deliberately said this.Rosalie leaned closer to Nana and whispered, "Nana, I'll be back soon. Don't be afraid. There are people here to protect you."Rosalie didn't believe her own words, but she had to go. She feared Sebastian would lose his temper and take it out on Nana. He was capable of anything. He had even abandoned Nana when danger struck—how could he possibly see her as his daughter? To him, Nana wa
Rosalie had nothing more to say to Sebastian, nor did she wish to continue arguing."If that's how you see things, then there's nothing I can do. I can't change your way of thinking," she said.Sebastian let go of her hand. "Rose, I risked my life to save you. If I hadn't shielded you with my body, you might already be dead. If you don't feel grateful, fine, but now you're blaming me instead? Do you have any idea how disheartening that is?""Thank you for saving me," Rosalie said coolly. "I truly owe you one.""What kind of attitude is that?" Sebastian snapped. "They say that true feelings are revealed in times of crisis. I risked my life to protect you, and what did I get in return? You mock me with sarcasm. How many men would do what I did for you? If it weren't for me, you would have—""Sebastian," Rosalie interrupted him, unable to hold back anymore. "You killed my husband, kidnapped me, made me endure an earthquake, and then saved me. And now you want me to thank you? Should I be
"She's just a five-year-old. She's done nothing wrong. Whether I like her or not, you were the one who adopted her, so you have an obligation to take care of her. You cannot simply abandon her like this," Rosalie said. Sebastian sat beside her. "Aren't you afraid that I might go mad and kill her? Yet you still want me to continue looking after her?""I can take care of her," Rosalie said. "Didn't you say before that you adopted her to make our so-called family complete? If Nana doesn't come back, then this family will never be whole.""Are you saying that you fully acknowledge her as your daughter now?"Things had already come to this point. Whether she wanted to or not, she had to accept it. Rosalie nodded. "Yes, I do."She was indeed a mother, and she couldn't help but think about what she would do if Steve were in such a situation. That thought alone made her determined to help Nana.Sebastian kissed her on the cheek. "I'll think about it. I have some matters to attend to—I'll be i
"Rose, what are you doing?" Sebastian's eyes were practically glued to her.Rosalie propped herself up and brushed her long hair aside. "Do you not like it? Then I'll change into something else."Just as she was about to get out of bed, Sebastian grabbed her wrist. "Wait a moment."Rosalie looked at him with a smirk. "What is it?""I like it when you dress like this." His voice was hoarse. "What made you decide to wear this tonight?""I just felt like it. And I've been thinking about a lot of things.""Is that so?" Sebastian sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard as he gazed at her. "What have you been thinking about?"He gently pushed the strap of her black lace camisole off her shoulder."Things have already come to this. The only thing I can do now is make my life a little easier. As long as you promise me not to hurt Theodore or my child again, I'll do whatever you want," Rosalie said.Her obedience and submission made Sebastian feel like he was dreaming. He cupped her face
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a glow on Sebastian's pale face.The curtains fluttered in the breeze. The nurse walked to the window and closed it.The doctor stood by the bed, explaining the situation to Sebastian. "Mr. Carter, you need plenty of rest given your current condition."Sebastian was filled with resentment. He coldly asked, "Will my quality of life decrease in the future?"Sebastian emphasized the word "life," clearly indicating that he was referring to more than just his general existence.The doctor understood. "Mr. Carter, with proper treatment and regular check-ups, after enduring the long recovery period, your quality of life will be close to what it was before.""How long is this recovery period?"The doctor replied, "At least six months before you can resume marital relations."Upon hearing this, Sebastian clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. His eyes burned with fury.He hadn't expected Rosalie to pull such a stunt on him. She had been pretendin
Rosalie had overheard everything. Sebastian no longer had any information about Theodore or Steve.Now, with Sebastian so far from home and Theodore taking full precautions on his end, even if Sebastian had incredible abilities, what could he do?He was merely relying on her fear to threaten her. Now that she knew the people she cared about were safe, she had nothing to fear.Upon seeing Rosalie's expression, Sebastian likely guessed what was going on. He sneered coldly. "Very well. You think I can't do anything to them, huh? What about Nana? Do you think I can't deal with her?"At the mention of Nana, Rosalie's gaze wavered slightly.But in the next moment, she lifted her head and said, "Nana is your adopted daughter. If you do anything to her, it's on you. Don't even think about threatening me with anyone else."She had been threatened by Sebastian over and over again, but in the end, she always succumbed to him. Now that she knew Theodore and Steve were fine, she felt relieved. She
Blencalgo.Lying on the hospital bed was a coughing man, so thin he seemed like skin and bones. His eyes were deeply sunken, his face was pale, and his body was connected to many machines.All this while, Yerick had been under constant surveillance in the hospital.Today, Yerick wanted to see Theodore.Naturally, Theodore was unwilling to meet him, but Yerick had someone pass his message to Theodore: Did he want to find Sebastian?Upon hearing this, Theodore came.The bodyguard brought in a chair. Once Theodore sat down, he crossed his legs and leaned back against the chair. Staring coldly at Yerick, he said, "Yerick, it seems you don't have long to live."Yerick smiled. "That's precisely why I wanted to see you."Theodore furrowed his brows. "Where is Sebastian? Do you know?""I don't know where he is.""You don't?" Theodore said coldly, "If you don't know, then why did you call me here? To watch you die?"He had come here with some hope, thinking Yerick might know something, but to
Yerick continued, "Think about it—what countries in the world, outside of globalization, are completely isolated, where the outside world cannot get any information? Such countries must be economically backward and lacking in foreign exchange, and yet they don't have normal trade relations with the international community. How, then, do they obtain foreign exchange?"Theodore listened to Yerick's words and felt they made sense.Yerick went on, "These countries are extremely isolated, economically backward, and have low productivity. They may lack creativity, but they certainly are a threat, which is why they've been under sanctions. To obtain foreign exchange, they have a few ways. One of those ways is to get money from some of the world's richest individuals. They will hide these wealthy individuals in their secretive countries, keeping them safe from discovery."Yerick smirked. "In such countries, even tourists who enter will go missing, let alone those truly wanting to hide there t
Theodore wrapped all of them up in his long arms.Under the golden sunshine, the family of four was wrapped up in each other's embraces. Sunlight shone on them, encasing them in a warm, golden glow. Everything felt calm and peaceful. The children snuggled in their parents' arms, innocent smiles lighting up their faces. They could feel the warmth of the sunshine as they found the safest and warmest haven in the entire world in their arms.In the evening sun and gentle breeze, they finally found happiness in each other's embrace.-In the deep of the night, Rosalie had a dream.Both Justin and Grandma came to her in her dream.Grandma and Justin were playing cards, surrounded by beautiful birds and flowers. They seemed to be in heaven, having the time of their lives with a look of tender love in their eyes.Grandma was very happy that she had reconciled with Theodore.Justin told Rosalie, "Rose, I'm so happy to see you happy.""Justin, do you hate me?""Silly girl, why would
Theodore made Rosalie feel like love was possible once more, and gradually opened her up.Love was ever-changing with time and the experiences they went through.Rosalie missed Justin dearly, but she also learned to treasure the people around her and every present moment of happiness. She learned how to accept the past and treasure the present amidst all her relationships.Justin would be her one and only in her heart, but Theodore also found his place in her heart amidst the unique position Justin was in.This was how their affections and love for each other grew and changed with time.Justin was dead, and Rosalie couldn't keep living in the past. She would carefully preserve her love for Justin in a corner of her heart.She would spend the rest of her life loving Theodore and their children."Chelsea," Rosalie said as she pulled Chelsea over. "Your daddy loves you very much, but he didn't get to see you come into this world. But you must remember his name. He is Justin Lynch."
Theodore and Rosalie brought both children to Justin's tomb.Before they left, Rosalie said that she and Chelsea wanted to spend some time alone with Justin.Theodore brought Jake to the car to wait for them.Golden sunlight shone on the land, feeling warm and toasty and giving the earth a beautiful glow.Rosalie caressed the tombstone. "Justin, I'm sorry for not coming to visit for such a long time."The last time she came back was a few months ago, during which she snuck a peak at his tombstone.Rosalie pulled out a bone fragment. "That's because you're always by my side, which is why I think that I can bring you everywhere I go. You're not just here at this tombstone."Justin, Theo and I have reconciled. He did so much for me, even sacrificing his own life for me. I can't just stand idly by and do nothing about it. I can't bring myself to reject him ruthlessly again and again."You can say that I'm moved, or that I fell in love with him once more. He's just too good, and I c
Jake had so much fun today and was exhausted by the time he reached home. After his shower, he crawled into bed and fell right asleep without any coaxing whatsoever. Jake would sometimes sleep in the bedroom with Chelsea, and sometimes they slept separately.At night, when Rosalie went to Chelsea's room to tuck her in and tell her a bedtime story, she asked, "Chelsea, how was your day with Theodore?""Hmm, it was alright," Chelsea said. "But Mr. Spencer was so silly, he burnt the food. I only got to eat lunch very late.""Is that so?" Rosalie burst out laughing. "How silly of him indeed.""But Mr. Spencer is quite nice," Chelsea said. "I like him. He said that I can call him Daddy."Rosalie's eyes lit up. "Do you want to call him that?""I do," Chelsea said with a nod, "but I'll do that tomorrow."Chelsea yawned. She felt tired, too.Rosalie caressed her cheek. "Goodnight, my darling. Go to sleep."-Rosalie returned to her room, took a shower, and laid on the bed. Theodo
Their parent-child bonding efforts officially began the next day.Rosalie brought Jake to the theme park. In the beginning, Jake felt rather stiff and reserved. It was his first time alone with his mom, after all.As time went by, Rosalie's earnestness, concern, and gentle patience with him slowly opened him up.They sat on the carousel, drove the bumper cars, rode on the Viking ship, zoomed down slides, bounced on the trampolines, and sailed on mini-boats. They had a whale of a time.Jake was covered with sweat, but he was so happy, he didn't want the day to end.He had grown closer to his mom, so much so that he would jump into her arms, hugging her and asking for kisses.Rosalie did not hold back from expressing her love for him and even carried him on her back as they continued exploring the park.Jake was very obedient and came down very soon, for fear that Rosalie might get tired. They moved on to the next attraction hand-in-hand.Rosalie found out one thing from Jake, wh
Some time later, Rosalie realized that Jake was being rather sullen.Each time she asked him whether something was wrong, he would brush her away, claiming that he was fine before running off.It was a Saturday, and Rosalie didn't need to go to work. She was seated on the couch with a book when Chelsea ran over, her braids swaying behind her. "Mommy, can you give me a hug?"How could Rosalie say no to her adorable little daughter? She shut the book and said, "But of course. Come on over."Rosalie opened her arms, very willing to show Chelsea affection.Chelsea crawled up onto the couch happily, sitting on Rosalie's lap and diving into her embrace.Jake happened to see it all.Rosalie noticed Jake standing a short distance away and was about to say something to him when he ran off.The smile on Rosalie's face faded as a look of worry took over.At night, Rosalie put Chelsea under Theodore's care and went to Jake, wanting to speak to him alone."Jake, what's with you recently
A gentle breeze lifted the curtains slightly in the deep of the night.Rosalie laid in Theodore's embrace, panting slightly. Her cheek leaned against his chest, feeling his heart pounding heavily, and her cheeks flushed.She never expected this day to come between her and Theodore, yet everything happened in a flash. He went to bed with her just like that, bewitched and completely infatuated with her.Although they were once husband and wife and had been intimate countless times, this felt different from the last. Things felt more intense this time around."Rose, are you happy?"Although Theodore's liver had been doing well over the last three months of recuperation, he was still worried that his fitness level might be affected before his liver was fully recovered.Rosalie gave him a slight smile. "Of course, I am. You almost crushed me."Her face flushed the moment she spoke those words. She hugged Theodore tight, feeling safe and secure.She could sense that he was telling th
"Theo, have you had a woman over the past five years?" Rosalie asked very frankly.They weren't naive young men and women but mature adults with experience in this matter.Theodore was a red-blooded young man who had his needs. Suppressing his desires, which were absolutely normal, would only jeopardize his health.Theodore was getting angry. "Am I someone like that to you, going to bed with a woman I don't love just to satisfy my physical needs?""Aren't men all like that?" Rosalie said. She didn't mean it in a scornful way but simply highlighted it as a typical observation.Lonely men and women in the city were bound to seek companionship in some places and part ways after the night.Someone as powerful and influential as Theodore wouldn't even need to go searching for someone else. Women flocked toward him like bees to honey."Why can't I be an exception?" He was in no state whatsoever to find another woman over the past five years and would always deal with his sexual desire
Time flew by, and three months later, Rosalie was fully recovered and back at work.Her colleagues welcomed her back with a bash.Everything seemed to have returned to normal.To keep Jake company, Rosalie would go back to Theodore's house every day after work. She was practically living there.Rosalie and Jake's relationship had improved over time, and they were looking more and more like they were truly mother and son.Everything was going well.At night, the four of them sat around the dining table and chatted happily with each other.After dinner, Rosalie and Theodore sat in the living room chatting. She suddenly noticed a book on the table. It looked so familiar that it caught her eye.It was the book she had written. Over the past five years, not only was she busy learning and working, but she also managed to write the book she had conceptualized and even gotten it published. However, this book was only available in Briusian and not exported to Blencalgo.Rosalie's book