After learning that Mona was backed by Thaddeus, Thomas, in particular, directly kneeled on both knees, his eyes rolled over, and he fainted in fear on the ground. Of course, Mona did not know about it. She only noticed Thaddeus and Sherry standing together. Mona looked at them from afar in a daze. It was as if she had been like this all these years, coldly watching as his companions change one after another. It was as though she was an outsider, watching them entwine and separate. The more she watched, the tougher and colder she became. There were some things that she would never have. Feelings, for instance. She no longer had any expectations because she saw through too clearly. “Why didn’t you tell me about what happened just now?” Thaddeus had unknowingly appeared in front of Mona. Coldness and anger could be seen on his attractive face. “Why did you handle it on your own instead of calling me?” Mona looked down and hid her emotions well. She answered with a straight
Mona paused and looked down at the man kneeling beside her. She struggled to move her hand away and said, “I can do it myself…” Thaddeus had no emotions shown on his handsome face. He tore open a bag of cotton gauze with his mouth and dipped it into some ointment. Afterward, he pulled Mona’s hand over and applied it to her wrist. His action was domineering and forceful yet gentle at the same time. Mona looked down. Her long fan-like eyelashes were reflected beneath her eyes, making her look charming. She looked at Thaddeus’s face and reached out to touch the bridge of his high nose. She mumbled softly, “Thank you.” Most of the sons of reputable families were fops. They would only humiliate and flirt with ladies who had no famous background like her. While Thaddeus was cold and aloof, he at least understood respect. This was the difference between people, and it was why Thaddeus could climb to the top of the pyramid of power in his early 20s. “You don’t need to thank me. I
Thaddeus closed the door of the lounge, walked to Mona’s side, and sat down. He held her waist with his big palm and helped her up. “Get up. Let’s attend the engagement party together.” Mona sat up and returned the suit jacket to Thaddeus. She straightened the gown on her. “Let’s leave separately. It won’t be good if your mom or your other family members saw us.” Thaddeus tightened his grip to clutch Mona tightly. He pulled her out of the lounge and asked, “So what?” Mona followed behind him blindly. She felt indescribably warm as she looked at his tall and straight back. Even so, she knew very well she was only being temporarily sheltered by him. However, that was enough. At least she no longer had to single-handedly face the battle alone at the engagement party today. When Thaddeus and Mona walked out of the lounge, Mona let go of his hand. Thaddeus looked back at her and frowned in dissatisfaction. “Many people are watching. I just need to be able to see you. Y
The engagement party was proceeding in an orderly manner. Isabel was on her home turf, so she wanted to make a splash. Therefore, she added a piano performance to her program in the final session. After finishing a piece, she sashayed to the center of the stage in her 10cm-high heels while her dress swayed. She took the microphone from the emcee and cleared her throat as she had something to say. “Everyone, thanks for attending my and Victor’s engagement party. I know you all came with wishes of happiness and blessings. I also have a surprise that I want to share with all of you present.” Isabel deliberately paused for a moment after saying that. The crowd below craned their necks as they waited for the good news she was about to reveal. Isabel scanned the audience and finally fixed her gaze on Thaddeus. Following that, she said, “After Victor and I consummate our marriage, our parents will invest 30% of our family assets into the Fontaines’ main group, which means that Vic
In the end, Mona decided to leave the gift at the manor’s concierge. She wrote a note to attach to it and left. The manor was located in the far suburbs of Worchester City in a remote area. Mona needed to walk quite a bit to the main road before she could hail a cab. Mona walked in the direction of the main road. The sun was shining today, but the cold wind stung her face. She took out her scarf and earmuffs to keep herself warm. There was a rustling sound behind her, and she noticed that it was getting closer. She could not hear it very well, but when she looked back, she saw Victor coming after her in strides. Mona stopped and turned to look at the man. “Why didn’t you stay for a little longer?” Victor left in a hurry, so he panted when he spoke. “I have something to take care of at home. By the way, I left my gift for you at the concierge. You can pick it up when you go back.” Mona did not want to say anything more to Victor. She tightened her scarf and turned to conti
Thaddeus saw Marcus in a panic, which was rare. He put down his tea cup and looked cold and solemn. “What’s the matter? Tell me everything in detail.” Marcus reported what had just happened to Thaddeus in detail. “Well, Isabel and Victor argued and spoke about Ms. Ortega again. Isabel insists that Victor hasn’t let go of Ms. Ortega because he took more than a few glances in the direction where Ms. Ortega was standing. She hit him out of anger and drove him out to find Ms. Ortega instead. “Victor was mad. He said if she was happy with that, then he’d go and find Ms. Ortega. In the end, he did just that and ran out to look for Ms. Ortega, but he hasn’t come back since. Isabel is crying outside and berating him for being a heartless rat.” Thaddeus could not help but frown after listening to Marcus’ report. “Does Isabel not feel embarrassed enough? Get someone to take her to the lounge. Whether she wants to die or live, make sure she’s in an empty place.” “Do we look for Victor
“I’m alright.” Mona looked around and said, “We should be getting farther and farther away from home now. I don’t know who set us up and kidnapped us here.” Victor struggled to sit up straight. He found something to lean on and thought about how he could have been kidnapped. “The other party came prepared and specifically targeted the two of us.” Mona had a grave look on her face. She and Victor were targeted. Yes, given that a man and a woman had gone missing at the same time and might have been in a secluded setting for a long time, there was no doubt that people would talk about what could have happened between them. “What’s the purpose of this? Why did the other party kidnap us both?” “It’s definitely not for money.” Victor touched his head and gasped. “If it’s not for money, it must be something else.” Mona’s face was cold. She frowned and pondered. “That person probably chose to kidnap us on your engagement day to ruin your relationship with Isabel. It’s also possib
In a hotel room in Worchester City, Sherry and Thomas sat opposite each other. Each of them held a glass of red wine and celebrated their successful scheme. “Congratulations, Ms. Foster. You’ve managed to get rid of your number-one love rival.” Thomas swirled his wine glass at Sherry and gave her a victorious smile. Sherry smiled coldly. Her gaze was ruthless. “Don’t be too happy just yet. Keep an eye on that ship at all times. This is just the beginning. You’d better make sure everything goes smoothly, or it’ll be a futile effort if it doesn’t achieve the effect I want.” “Ms. Foster, you worry too much. I’m a veteran of the jungle. What kind of tricks have I not played before? Don’t you want to watch the two of them doing something improper? I’ll do as you ask, hehe.” Thomas smiled sinisterly and downed the red wine in his glass. He was overjoyed at the thought of him making Thaddeus a cuckold soon. “That’s good. As long as you achieve the effect that I’m satisfied with, y
The couple was tired after a time of bonding, and they lay on the wicker chair, closing their eyes before slipping into dreamland. Sometime later, Thaddeus felt a chill and opened his eyes. His T-shirt was wet, and Bobby and Millie were spraying water at him with water guns. The youngest child was nearby too in her stroller. She suckled on a pacifier and watched the bustle. “Where’s your mommy?” Thaddeus shuffled his hair and looked around, searching for Mona. “Freeze, Daddy. We have held Mommy captive. Surrender yourself to us.” Acting like the boss, Millie pointed her massive water gun at her daddy. Thaddeus had indulged his eldest daughter so much that the girl would only have things her way. Nevertheless, Thaddeus played along since it was only a game. He knew his children well. Millie took after Mona and was shrewd. Still, Millie would be on her best behavior when in public. “Hurry up and surrender, Daddy. Put your hands up, and we will release Mommy.” Millie poked
It was a cooling breeze for the Summer as flowers bloomed in the garden of Fontaine Residence. Mona rested on a wicker chair under the wine arbor, holding in hand the latest issue of the weekly design magazine, with her face on the cover. In the photo, she held a trophy up on the stage of a design competition, standing out amidst the radiant background. Since the birth of her youngest, Mona took a month off for rest before picking up her passion again and returning to the world of design. Recently, she won first place in an international design competition and found fame. Mona was happy with her life and enjoyed the rich and peaceful state of things. She had time to herself for once during the weekend, so she found a quiet spot to enjoy time alone while the kids had a nap. The sunlight shone over Mona through the leaves, basking her in warmth. She let out a yawn and closed her eyes for a nap. Thaddeus walked out of the house and saw the woman enjoying the moment of bliss. The t
“Mommy, did the baby kick you today?” Millie wobbled her way over and placed her hand on Mona’s belly. She could feel the baby stirring inside her mommy’s stomach. Millie was pleasantly surprised. “The baby kicked me! Mommy, is the baby swimming inside your belly?” “Yeah. The baby is kicking.” Mona affectionately caressed her belly. The fetus had been kicking and rolling a lot more lately, so she could not get much sleep. The tall and strong man drew near and looked tenderly at Mona. His husky voice lingered in Mona’s ear. “Weren’t you craving strawberries? I placed an order, and the fruit is being airlifted here as we speak. It’ll arrive tonight.” “Yay.” Mona was gleeful. Since the beginning of her pregnancy, she had become quite fussy and craved the strangest food. She wanted caviar from Japan, cookies from France, and strawberries from the highlands. Anything she asked for would be transported fresh to the house the next day.The man had taken good care of her during her en
“No. I won’t let myself go.” The man huffed heavily after finishing his sit-ups. Then, he rolled out of bed and got changed in the walk-in closet. Mona stared at the man’s well-toned back, gasping at his body upkeep. People would probably have a hard time believing he was a father of three. With that in mind, Mona became aware of a potential threat. She got up and drew close to the man. “You’re responsible for taking care of the baby once the child is born.” Thaddeus straightened his tie. “Alright. I can do that. I want to be present in the baby’s life and your pregnancy. You should rest at home once your belly gets bigger. I’ll handle Bobby and Millie’s school run, okay?” The man pinched Mona’s face dotingly. “Now you’re talking. Are you heading out?” Mona got up on her tiptoes to brush off the dust from his shoulders. “Yeah. I need to sort out a lot of paperwork.” “I wrote down notes of the meeting I attended on your behalf a few days ago.” Mona walked out to retrieve a
Thaddeus was in the hospital for a week before he was discharged. The election day for the successor of the Fontaine Group was two weeks later, but Thaddeus had not made a full recovery in his legs. He remained in a wheelchair and persisted in his daily physiotherapy. Mona had a room freed up in Fontaine Residence for Thaddeus’ rehabilitation. A specialized doctor would come around the house every day to help Thaddeus with his recovery. Thaddeus was a strong man to fight through the pain in his physiotherapy sessions. That day, Mona watched as the workers hung a decorative painting on the wall in the hallway. She ordered paintings of her preference and had them shipped from abroad. Mona instructed the workers to put it up, not paying attention to the wobbly painting that had been hung behind her. The painting was about to hit her from the back. Thaddeus was exiting the rehabilitation room when he caught sight of the danger. Getting up from his wheelchair, Thaddeus took large stri
The few pictures of Mona and Victor at the height of a tussle gave the impression that they were having an intimate moment. Thaddeus went through the photos with a look of disdain. “So you stood there and pretended to take pictures of me to show me these? You set my wife up with another man to tell me she was cheating on me?” It was not hard to guess the game the paparazzi were playing, but who was he trying to fool? The man was dumbstruck, as it never occurred to him that Thaddeus could see through him. It had taken the three of them to come up with the idea. However, it had not taken much for Thaddeus to foil their plan. Mona let out a relieved smile. She thought that Thaddeus would be furious at the look of the pictures and had prepared herself to give a long explanation. She was surprised that Thaddeus quickly saw through the attempt to drive them apart. Their relationship was solid, and no one could come between them. Mona thought to herself with glee when she took
Mona stood in front of Thaddeus, blocking his face as she confronted the paparazzi who took their picture. “Hand over the camera!” “There’s nothing in the camera. Besides, it’s my personal property. Why should I give it to you?” “You clearly took a picture of my husband. You have some nerve to say there’s nothing.” Mona grabbed the man by the wrist and lifted her foot to kick. Thaddeus grabbed her wrist to stop her. “You’re pregnant. Think about the child.” Thaddeus pulled Mona back, leaving himself exposed to the paparazzi. “Why do you want to photograph me? Do you want to see me in a wheelchair? Take a picture then.” Thaddeus pulled a straight face. His nonchalant gaze spoke of intimidation. Dumbstruck, the paparazzi looked at Thaddeus’ legs and smiled dryly. “What happened to your legs, Mr. Fontaine?” Thaddeus did not answer. However, his dark eyes flicked chillingly as he looked murderously at the paparazzi. Even in a wheelchair, Thaddeus did not have to say anythi
With the help of the two caretakers, Thaddeus sat in the wheelchair. He had overcome his emotions and pulled himself together. His mind was clear as he sorted out what he should do next. Thaddeus called the assistant into the room and laid out the following plan. “I won’t attend any media interviews before the election, but I won’t disappear from the public eye either. I don’t want to give the press something to talk about. My wife will represent me. Going forward, whatever she says or does will be considered my own. She has the authority to attend all corporate conferences, big or small.” Mona dropped her jaw in shock. She was to attend company meetings and speak on his behalf. It was trying to make the impossible happen. On second thought, Thaddeus must have his reasons to do so. She had the confidence to do a good job anyway. The assistant took note of everything Thaddeus said. The Fontaine Group was about to choose its next leader, and with Thaddeus still in recovery, the
“It’s okay. That’s normal after surgery. The doctor gave me a heads-up. Since it’s a brain operation, you might have damage to the motor nerve. With the help of physiotherapy, you’ll be back to running in no time.” Mona consoled Thaddeus. Thaddeus lifted his hands and gave Mona a gentle push. “Leave.” Mona froze. She looked at the man who was fine a second ago, not knowing what to do. “Can you leave? I need some time alone,” Fixing his gaze on Mona, Thaddeus spoke callously. “Okay. I’ll be right outside if you need me.” It dawned on Mona why the man was persistent in driving her away. He did not want her to see him at his worst. In a way, he was trying to protect his pride and dignity as a man. However, they were a married couple. Mona would never turn her back on him. Mona could understand the man’s vulnerability and his feelings at the moment. Hence, she said nothing and quietly left the ward to give Thaddeus the time and space to sort his emotions. Instead of doing n