Rosalie tugged Sydney’s sleeve and pulled at it, shaking her head profusely at her. She mouthed, “Ask him when he’s free, and that you can wait.”The corner of Sydney’s mouth twitched. She coughed dryly, and put out the cigarette between her fingers. “In that case, when are you free? You can’t possibly be busy all the time, can you?”“I’m busy all the time.”His heartless rejection made Sydney’s brows furrow. A piercing pain shot through her chest. She could sense that Theodore didn’t want to have a meal with her, or even see his own mother.Before Rosalie could say anything further, Sydney decided that she would give it another shot. “Are you sure you aren’t free? Not even for half an hour?”“I’m sorry, no.”Sydney’s grip over her phone tightened, and she chuckled helplessly. “Alright, then. Go ahead and be busy. I won’t bother you anymore.”Sydney was about to hang up when Rosalie snatched the phone from her hand and said to the man on the line, “Theodore Spencer!”Theodo
“Alright. I’ll hand the phone over to your mom. Set the date and time between yourselves.”Rosalie handed the phone back to Sydney.Sydney was still stunned from what Rosalie had just done, but managed to take the phone from her and put it to her ear.Theodore said something to her before she nodded and said, “Alright, I got it.”“Alright, then.”“Okay, goodbye.”Sydney hung up, and turned to say to Rosalie, “I’ve set the date and venue of our meeting.”Rosalie heaved a sigh of relief. She was just trying her luck just now, and didn’t really expect her attempt to turn out successful. “That’s good. I just hope you two can have a good talk. Please don’t end up fighting. You two have already missed out on so much time together, so you should treasure every moment you have together. You two are mother and son, after all. I know you love your son, and that Theo really needs you,” she said. “But I really have no idea how to be a mother. I’m too trapped in my own world. I’ve lived
Rosalie didn’t know what to say at that point. Sydney’s words seemed to make sense, and she couldn’t say anything to refute it.“Do you still want to read through them?” Sydney asked.Rosalie nodded. “I do, but can I bring them back?”“Don’t bother. Just read through them here, and go back whenever you’re done. It’s tiring to take back so many documents.”“But…” Rosalie flipped through the documents in the box. “There are just too many documents. One day isn’t enough for me to go through them all. Also, I have to analyze and think through the data, and even do some checking. I think…”“Don’t worry about it. Just stay here overnight. I have everything you need anyway, so feel free to use them. Oh, yes. There’s food in the fridge. You can cook lunch this afternoon, or order takeout. I have something to attend to, and I need to head out. I’ll buy some clean underwear for you before I come home later.”In light of Sydney’s offer, Rosalie had no choice but to nod her head in agreement
Rosalie nodded with a smile. “Okay.”“Did you find anything after looking through all those documents?” Sydney asked.Rosalie said, “They crunched their numbers so beautifully, it’s almost perfect. But I don’t think it’s possible for a large company to not encounter any issues at all, what with their sudden, rapid expansion within such a short period of time. Sometimes, the more perfect something seems, the greater the hidden issues—maybe even more so than something that appears imperfect.”She went on, “What’s more, the share price of Regent Co. is very high right now. I have a feeling it’s going to be an open target.”Sydney smiled. “Not bad, you have potential. Sometimes, however, it’s not enough to just judge based on a feeling. You have to present solid evidence to convince others.”Rosalie nodded. “Okay. I’ll continue searching for it.”Sydney said, “Don’t be anxious. Take it easy. You must have patience in whatever you do.”Rosalie nodded. “I got it.”“But…” Sydney said
Sydney couldn’t explain why, either. She simply felt that Theodore liked Rosalie very much. Yet, his actions and decisions were so confusing.She also didn’t want to give Rosalie empty hope. If she were mistaken, it would only lead to disappointments for Rosalie.They were already divorced, anyway. It no longer mattered what Theodore really felt.“Yes, I have no idea what’s blinding him. I can’t figure out what’s so good about Cynthia Zeller. At least the woman Wesley fell in love with back then was a true talent.”Rosalie smiled. “Maybe Theo just found his soulmate. No matter who she is, she’s bound to make him fall in love with her.”Love sometimes didn’t make sense. Yet, sometimes it was all that mattered—even if others find it illogical and foolish.“What about you? Do you like Theo?” Sydney asked.Rosalie’s heart raced.Sydney stared at her. “What’s the matter?”“Mom, we’re already divorced. None of this matters anymore.” Rosalie’s voice was hoarse, as if a blade was stuc
Rosalie was still busy in the study. Sydney had given her a new notebook, which she had filled up.She was halfway through the box of documents; she didn’t bother counting, and simply read the documents page by page.Just then, her phone buzzed. Rosalie remained unperturbed, and continued jotting down notes until her phone buzzed again.She furrowed her brows, and grabbed her phone. Glancing at the incoming text, she saw found it was from Theodore.The first text read, ‘Are you asleep?’The second text read, ‘??’Rosalie typed on her phone, ‘I’m not asleep yet.’But before she sent it out, something came to mind.If she told him that she wasn’t asleep yet, he was bound to ask her what she was doing. It was going to take her time to reply to him.She didn’t want to chat with Theodore right now. She was long past the time when she felt excited whenever he contacted her.Time was of the essence, and she had to read through all the documents.As such, she deleted her original me
“Mom, are you picking on Rose again? I knew nothing good would come out of her being with you! Did you make her do all your work? And she did it the entire night! Why are you being like this? Does it make you glad to be a wicked mother-in-law?”Sydney remained calm in the face of her son’s accusations. “What do you mean, wicked mother-in-law? Just listen to yourself. She’s my daughter now. Can’t I teach my own daughter a thing or two? She’s been going through my documents since yesterday afternoon, and didn’t get a wink last night. I’m very proud of my daughter for being so resilient and hardworking.”“You’re doing this on purpose. I’m heading over right now. Stop bullying her!”“Why are you coming over? Do you want to blow things up and get Rosalie caught in the middle and feel bad about it?”Theodore said coldly, “Should I continue allowing you to harass her, then? I’m going to take her away from you!”“How do you know that she’s not doing it willingly? She was the one who ask
“No,” Theodore said in a panic. “I won’t interrupt you. Go ahead and read your documents, but don’t hang up.”He wanted to help her with her work.Rosalie’s eyes flashed with doubt. “Why?”“No particular reason. Just don’t hang up and continue with your work.”“Fine.” Rosalie didn’t know what Theodore was up to. She pushed her phone away, and continued reading.When she was finally done reading through every single document, she felt overwhelmed with fatigue. Eye bags hung heavily below her eyes.She stumbled to the hall, and saw Sydney preparing breakfast in the kitchen.Upon hearing footsteps, Sydney turned around. “You’re done?”Rosalie nodded. “Yes.”“You were up the whole night. I thought you’d at least sleep a little last night.”Rosalie smiled and sat at the table, still in a daze. She slumped on the table and said, “I felt a burst of energy, and wanted to read through everything in one go. Before I knew it, the sun was rising.”She placed her phone on the table.Syd
Sebastian carried Rosalie out of the washroom. Her knees were both slightly red.He put her on the bed, his thumb rubbing the corners of her lips. He smiled and whispered into her ear, "Did that taste good?"Rosalie flipped to her side, her back facing him.Sebastian kissed her shoulder as a wicked look flashed past his eyes. He dove into the sheets, moving lower and lower.Rosalie knew what was about to happen and tried to struggle, but he pinned both of her legs down.Everything that happened after that felt torturous.Rosalie didn't even know when it ended.When it finally did, her cheeks were flushed and she sobbed silently while biting on her fingers.Sebastian emerged from the sheets and pulled her into his arms."Darling, why are you crying?" he coaxed her as he patted her back. "Don't cry. Did I hurt you?"Rosalie held her tears back and turned her face away, but Sebastian forcefully twisted her head back.His lips crooked wickedly. "Look how red your cheeks are. Wel
When it was past three in the afternoon and the weather wasn't so hot, Sebastian brought Rosalie out for a stroll.Although Veloso's industry and economy were underdeveloped, the natural scenery wasn't bad.Sebastian brought Rosalie to many places.Throughout the entire time, she didn't say much, simply letting him hold her hand.When they stood at the seaside, Sebastian hugged her from behind and kissed her neck, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.He also brought her to a sea of flowers. He hugged her as they lay on the flower bed, making her kiss him.Sebastian was enjoying every moment of it.At night, he booked the most luxurious restaurant to have dinner with Rosalie. The two of them sat by the window.Throughout the meal, Rosalie hardly responded to him. Eventually, Sebastian put down his fork and said, "Rose, don't be so grouchy. Give me a smile, won't you?"He was as patient as he could with her. However, there was a limit to his patience.Rosalie looked up at Se
Sebastian shut his eyes, savoring the kiss. He wrapped an arm around her waist and deepened the kiss, but he didn't take over control from Rosalie and simply enjoyed the feeling of her taking the initiative to kiss him. However, she didn't kiss him for too long. It was a simple kiss and nothing fancy, where she just let her lips touch his for a while before letting him go.Rosalie looked at Sebastian, as if asking with her eyes whether that would do.Sebastian wasn't exactly pleased with the kiss.However, the empty look in her eyes made him soften his stance.He picked up his phone, covered her eyes, and unlocked the screen with a code before retrieving a video of Steve.He took the video when he was previously taking care of Steve. Although Steve was biologically Theodore's child, he was way too adorable and Sebastian truly adored him. That was why he took many photos of him.He clicked on the first video and showed it to Rosalie. It lasted over a minute and showed Steve sitt
The delighted look on Sebastian's face made Rosalie look away. No matter how handsome he was, the sight of his face made her retch.Sebastian spooned food onto her plate and said, "Rose, I know you like this cuisine. I had all the ingredients air-flown here and they are as fresh as they can be. Just tell me what you want to eat and I'll have the kitchen prepare it for you. You need to take care of your health."He held her shoulders. "I want to fatten you up. Be good and eat up."He urged her tenderly, but this tenderness was only temporary. If she were to resist, he would immediately turn violent and hurt her.Rosalie picked up a spoon and stuffed the food in her mouth. She wolfed everything down, hoping that lunch would come to an end soon."Be good, eat slowly," Sebastian said as he caressed her hair like she was a child. "Don't choke, my heart will ache if you do. These are all for you. You can eat as much as you like. If it's not enough, I'll have the kitchen cook more."The
"Well, Rose? Have you come round yet? Do you want me to send someone to kill your son, or will you submit to me obediently, listen to me, and behave yourself? Instead of trying to kill or harm yourself."Sebastian tried to make himself look as gentle and tender as he could be, as if he were patiently negotiating with Rosalie. In truth, this was nothing like a negotiation. Rosalie basically had no choice."How do you want me to submit to you?" she asked in a hoarse voice.The video of Steve woke her up. Not only was she Justin's lover, but she was also a mother. She couldn't stand idly by watching Steve get into trouble. She couldn't neglect her son's safety because of the misery she was in.Sebastian smiled, finally satisfied. "I just want you to listen to me and stay by my side. Don't act like a living corpse and cooperate when in bed with me."Sebastian spoke as though he was talking about things as simple and intuitive as eating and drinking.A simple word from the devil was
Sebastian's head was still throbbing. He drank a lot last night also because he wanted to drown his sorrows.He stared at the woman on the bed, the look in her eyes empty like a lifeless doll.Sebastian gently caressed her hair and stood up to walk to the washroom.When he returned last night, he went to bed straight away without showering.He brushed his teeth and took a shower in the washroom. After he was done, he wiped himself dry and returned to the bed, wrapping Rosalie in his arms once more."Darling, things have come to this point and you can't change anything. You should just accept things the way they are. This country is quite beautiful. Let me take you out for a walk."His voice was very gentle, like a lover mumbling words of affection.Rosalie didn't respond to him, as if she were a corpse.Sebastian went on, "Do you want to be tied to the bed, unable to move your entire life? How long are you going to be stubborn like this? Darling, let me wash you up and brush yo
Rosalie felt her body being flipped over as Sebastian pressed his body against hers.The smell of alcohol made her feel nauseous.She wanted to shove him away, but her hands were tied up and she couldn't move them.Sebastian cupped her face in his hands and planted hot kisses on her cheeks. His lips landed on a swollen area.Rosalie winced in pain.Sebastian could feel the swell on Rosalie's face through his lips. He opened his eyes and realized that almost half of Rosalie's face was swollen. There was even an imprint of a palm on her cheek.He had slapped her very hard this morning because she angered him. He lost control and hit her.Rosalie's skin was tender and certainly couldn't withstand his force. Her cheeks were now badly swollen.Although Sebastian was drunk, he was still conscious. Remorse filled his eyes as he cried, "Rose, you really shouldn't have angered me at that time. If you didn't, I wouldn't have hit you."He poked her cheek gently with a finger. "See, it's
In the deep of the night, the curtains fluttered in the cold wind.The moon shone like silver outside the window and into a bedroom in the villa. The weak moonlight danced in the darkness, reflecting a dim blue shadow in the room. Branches swayed outside the window, making a rustling sound.Rosalie lay on the bed, her face pale as a sheet and her eyes bloodshot and swollen, reflecting the fatigue she was feeling inside.The look in her eyes was empty and hopeless, like a sole boat wandering in the endless night, void of direction and hope.The bedside lamp shone a gentle light, lighting up her haggard features. The shadows in the dim room accentuated the loneliness etched on her face.The night was quiet except for the rustling wind and the heartless ticking of time. The silence in Rosalie's heart, however, was deafening.Her breathing gradually became labored as she lay on the bed, hopelessness filling her eyes. She looked like a lone spirit roaming the darkness.The door ope
Rosalie smirked. "Is that so?"She knew Sebastian was the one in denial. She was sure he felt furious and indignant, and was just feigning confidence to cover up the unease he was feeling."Sebastian Carter, I curse you to never find happiness! I'd rather be torn to pieces than fall in love with a man like you. I curse you to never find love!"Sebastian smacked Rosalie's face hard. He slapped her so hard, she felt dizzy and collapsed on the bed. Her tender cheeks swelled up immediately.His hand trembled after the slap, still left handing in the air. He looked at his palm as shock, disbelief, guilt, regret and all sorts of conflicted feelings flashed past the depths of his eyes.Rosalie didn't have much of a reaction. She simply lay on the bed expressionlessly, as though she were dead and completely void of emotions.Sebastian clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Rose, you shouldn't be talking to me like this. You shouldn't be angering me. Don't think that just because I lo