Thaddeus listened to Marcus’s words and lifted his eyes. His gaze trailed from the documents to the car window, and he was silent for a long time.The atmosphere was gloomy. Thaddeus' displeasure was clear, so Marcus did not dare to continue this topic. He simply focused on driving.In fact, Marcus also could not understand how Mona was involved in this mess. The senior executives at the board meeting today had been ready to turn Mona in to the police as a traitor who had stolen trade secrets. It was Thaddeus who stopped them.The matter started with a USB flash drive. Today, all the computers in Fontaine Group suddenly went down, and the quotations for all the new products in the European market were leaked even before the products had been introduced. It resulted in the loss of advantage in the price wars, and the company suffered heavy losses in the European market.Later, the staff from the IT department investigated and found that the culprit was a USB flash drive in the CEO’s
[Samantha has something she wants me to tell you. Let’s meet.]Mona looked at the message. After hesitating, she decided to go to the location Victor sent.According to Victor and Samantha’s relationship, Victor must know some inside information.She looked at the time and saw it was 8:30 pm. It was not that late, so she put on her coat and went downstairs.“Madam, where are you going so late?” Aunt May was cleaning downstairs and went to ask Mona when she saw the latter come down.“Oh, I’m going to a cafe to meet a friend.”“I’ll tell the driver to prepare the car for you. I’ll be more relieved if the driver goes with you.”As she spoke, she picked up the phone in the living room to call the driver and ask him to drive the car to the door.Mona felt it was safer to have a companion, so she agreed.When the driver pulled up to the cafe Victor mentioned, the latter was already sitting inside drinking coffee.As he held his cup, he narrowed his eyes and watched as Mona got out
Victor placed all the blame on Samantha. Then, he learned it was Samantha who instigated Mona to go to Fontaine Residence, which led to Mona and Thaddeus' remarriage.He originally wanted to let Samantha off and allow her to go anywhere after leaving Worchester City. However, she pushed his beloved toward Thaddeus.How could he forgive her?Mona saw how obsessed Victor was with what happened back then. To her, it was all in the past, and she had already let go of the matter. She could only say that Victor was too obsessive.What good would it do for him to continue obsessing? It would only add to his troubles.“Victor, what Samantha did was wrong, but didn’t she already get her punishment? Her reputation was ruined to the point where she couldn’t even stay in the city anymore. That’s enough. I think you’re the one who needs to learn to let go.”Victor snorted coldly and stared at Mona. “You’ve always been soft-hearted. You were the same back when we were at school. You were so ki
Mona was too sleepy to open her eyes. She reached out and picked up her phone from the nightstand, then glanced at the name on the screen in a daze. It was a call from Tim.Why was he calling her so late at night?The man had not contacted her since the party last time. For some reason, Mona felt that Tim was deliberately distancing himself from her. In short, it was a little strange.Mona swiped the answer icon, and Tim’s low voice reached her ears.“Were you resting?”“Yeah. I was getting ready for bed. Do you need something?”“There’s a matter regarding work. Several details in your design draft need to be modified. I’ll send you an email later with the annotations and requests, and you can just make the changes accordingly.”“Got it.”As soon as Mona heard it was a work issue, she immediately sat up, rubbed her eyes, and turned on the lights.She did not have her laptop with her, so she had to go to the study outside.She turned on the computer to log into her email to fi
Aunt May came into the room with some food. Mona was leaning against the headboard, her cheeks flushed from the fever.“Madam, are you feeling better? Please have something to eat first.”Aunt May placed the tray on the bedside table, picked up a plate of food, and fed it to Mona’s mouth.Mona turned her head and pushed away Aunt May’s hand.“Have the kids gone to school?”“Don’t worry. The driver and chaperone have sent them to preschool. You have to eat, Madam.”Mona licked her dry lips and took the plate from Aunt May’s hand. “Okay. I’ll eat by myself.”She was eating, but there was no taste in her mouth. She simply chewed and swallowed mechanically.“Aunt May, help me get the laptop. I still have some work to do.”“No!” Aunt May instantly refused Mona’s unreasonable request.“Why are you thinking about working when you’re sick? You have to rest.”“I’m much better now.” Mona put on an obedient and pleasing expression. She learned from Millie’s example and clasped her hand
The call ended, cold and pointless. The conversation with Thaddeus had not impacted Mona much.However, it made the servants of the Fontaines busy.After Thaddeus hung up the phone, while he was waiting for his luggage on the carousel, he called Aunt May’s personal cell phone.Aunt May was at a key shop, bargaining with the locksmith when her phone rang. She hurriedly answered the phone when she saw it was Thaddeus calling.“Second Young Master, you’re finally on your phone. Have you left the plane?”Thaddeus did not answer Aunt May’s question and got straight to the point. “Is Mona sick?”Aunt May quickly said, “Yes, yes. How did you know? She had a high fever last night. The family doctor gave her an IV infusion just before dawn, so she’s better now. She’s busy working in bed now.”“What? Why did you let her work when she’s sick?”Mona’s thin and frail figure suddenly appeared in Thaddeus' mind. Why was that woman so capricious? Why was she still working when she was sick? Wa
With no internet and the laptop soon running out of battery, Mona had no choice but to give up and draft the design by hand.When Aunt May saw this, she came up with a plan. When Mona went to the washroom, Aunt May took the opportunity to hide the design along with the pen.“Aunt May, where’s my draft?” Mona, dressed in a cotton nightgown that revealed her two fair and slender legs, wandered around the room looking for her drawing.“Maybe it grew wings and flew away.” Aunt May pretended as if nothing had happened. She took out the cake, cut it into slices, and served a slice on a plate before handing it to Mona. “Would you like some cake?”“Yes, please.” Mona was tired of looking and sat on the bed with her legs crossed.She thought of eating some cake and putting aside her work for the time being.“How did you know I wanted strawberry cake?” Mona’s mouth felt sweet with the cream. She hated taking medicine when sick since the bitterness made her unable to taste anything else. At
Mona was flooded with mixed feelings after hearing Aunt May’s words. She felt bad for Thaddeus. However, Mona was also in a dilemma because her mother was involved. She was not in a fair position to judge the matter. “Wait, Madam. Are you saying your mother is that woman?” Aunt May realized the shocking connection after she combed through the details. That would mean her master married his enemy’s daughter! The relationship made Aunt May aware that things were not as simple as they looked, and her expression swiftly turned serious. Mona’s heart sank when she saw Aunt May’s reaction. She had no allies in the family and had to find someone she could rely upon. Otherwise, no one would care about her even if she died in the corner. So she took the risk by telling Aunt May about her mother. She wanted Aunt May to know because Aunt May had worked for the Fontaines for many years and had a reputation amongst the other servants. She could also learn more about her mother from
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