After the meal, Mona, Sophie, and Stella walked out of the room and bumped into a familiar figure head-on. Tim was surrounded by several hotel executives as they inspected the hotel operations. “Go to the meeting room first and wait for me. Prepare for a meeting with the executives.” When Tim saw Mona, he immediately dismissed the executives and walked toward her and her companions. “Why didn’t you tell me in advance that you’re coming?” Tim directly omitted the formalities with Mona and talked to her familiarly. “I came to talk about work with a friend.” Only then did Tim shift his attention to Stella, who was next to Mona. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Stella’s face. He recognized her. Stella’s expression did not change when she saw Tim as though they did not know each other. After a brief eye contact, she said goodbye to Sophie and Mona. “You go ahead and talk. I have something to do, so I’ll leave first.” Mona noticed that Tim constantly looked back at Stella,
After the meeting with Stella, Sophie sent Mona back to Fontaine Residence. It was 9 p.m., and Mona was tired. She thought about Thaddeus, who was watching over their grandpa in the hospital. It was probably hard on him too. Bobby and Millie each had a bath with the nanny’s help and slept. Mona was resting on the sofa when Maria came over with a bucket of water for Mona to soak her feet. “Mrs. Fontaine, you’re home. You must be tired, running around all day. Quickly soak your feet.” Maria squatted beside Mona and bent over to take off her socks. She grabbed Mona’s feet and put them in the bucket of water, then looked up and said with a smile, “Mrs. Fontaine, I added some Chinese herbs meant for relieving fatigue, as you taught me. Is the water temperature alright?” Mona’s feet were warmed by the hot water, and she was touched. She said gratefully to Maria, “It’s just right. Thanks for your concern, Maria.” “Heh, you’re too polite. Why are you thanking me? You’ve always trea
#Mona took the tea tray and waved at Maria, signaling her to leave first. She could not hear anything through the door. Mona lifted her hand to knock on the door. Before long, Jennifer came to open the door. When she saw Mona, a look of panic flashed across her eyes but was quickly replaced by impatience. “Why are you here at this hour?” “I heard from the maids that we have a guest who still hasn’t left. I thought you’ll probably talk until late at night, so I brewed a pot of your favorite tea for you to freshen up.” Mona glanced past Jennifer and looked into the room, but nobody was there. “Which big-mouthed maid told you I had a guest?” Jennifer said angrily, “Ginny came to visit me when she heard something happened at home. She left a short while after. I’m the only one in my room now.” “I see.” Mona nodded and seemed to have believed what Jennifer said. “Well, the tea has been brewed, so you might as well take it in and enjoy it. Since Grandpa got into an accident, I’
Ginny laughed out loud and stopped all of a sudden. Her cold gaze pierced straight at Jennifer as she questioned, “Me? Cruel? How much better are you?” To Jennifer, Ginny was just a pawn. No matter how much Jennifer expressed her liking and satisfaction for her, at the end of the day, she was the one disfigured and humiliated when she was kicked out of the house. At the moment of great shame when Ginny was dragged out of Fontaine Residence by the two guards, if Jennifer had stood out to help her, it would not have come to this. Ginny would never forgive the humiliation from the old man, as well as the cold treatment from Jennifer! “How does this benefit you? Didn’t you want to get Thaddeus? He’ll definitely hate you if he finds out you tried to kill Master Fontaine.” Jennifer did not think her most favored one would one day turn against her. She made a wrong judgment! “The person he’s going to hate shouldn’t be me, but you. If you don’t want me to expose your scandal to the
“Ginny, you shameless b*tch! I treated you well, yet now, you’re pushing me into the fire. I’ll expose your shady deals sooner or later!” Jennifer shouted. However, the person who came was Mona. She stood at the door and listened to Jennifer curse Ginny agitatedly. She suddenly found it funny. It was worth noting that Ginny was Jennifer’s favorite. Given that Jennfier was so triggered, she must have suffered quite a blow. When Jennifer noticed that there were no movements behind her, she turned to take a look. She was shocked to see Mona standing there. She wiped her tears and stood up warily. “Who let you come in?! Get out now!” Mona looked calmly at Jennifer. She turned her hand to close the bedroom door and walked toward her. “Get lost!” Jennifer was extremely agitated. She picked up the voodoo doll on the table where her deceased husband’s photo was placed and smashed it at Mona. “I asked you to get lost—get lost with your vixen mom, do you hear me?!” Mona looked at
When the so-called “secret” was mentioned, Jennifer kept quiet and even intentionally avoided the question as she did not want to talk about it. So Mona also stopped pursuing it. She was certain it was something unpresentable and that everyone would be shocked if it were exposed. After being in this reputable family for a long time, what Mona saw the most was the ugliest side of human nature. She had not planned to get involved, but it was out of her control. While she did not want to see any of it, someone just had to open it up and show her. Nevertheless, she became much clearer after seeing much of that. Therefore, she developed a skill where she could remain calm in the face of any situation, no matter how unbelievable and tricky they were. “Since you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you.” Mona held her arms and said calmly, “If you don’t want to be controlled by Kimball over a secret, your best bet will be to be on my side and do as I say.” Jennifer reacted as if
Mona rubbed her nose, a little resentful.“Don’t go.” Thaddeus took Mona’s hand and pulled her to his side.“Hm?” Mona looked at him in confusion. “Didn’t you want to take a shower? It’s already late. Don’t delay.”“There’s no rush. I’ll go after we head back to our room.”The man’s eyes became deep as his large hand grasped her waist. He looked at the moon and said in a low voice, “Look at the moon.”Mona suddenly understood something and held back a smile, nodding. “Okay.”“What exactly were you doing in my mother’s room?”The man asked. He did not believe Mona’s story, and there had to be something behind it.“I knew I couldn’t hide it from you.” Mona shrugged and looked at the man. “Apparently, Grandpa’s accident is related to your mother. Of course, Ms. Kimball is involved too.”She had actually wanted to conceal it for the time being. No son wanted to see his mother as a villain who tried to kill his loved ones. However, what good would it do her to conceal it? Saying it
The man tossed her around in a night of tenderness until dawn. If not for Mona crying for mercy, it would have been endless.She lay in the crook of his arms, unable to lift her eyelids.The man’s heart ached as he bowed his head to kiss her on the forehead. His voice was slightly hoarse and magnetic. “Tired?”Mona snorted and slapped him on the face. “Stop talking.”After hitting him, she pushed him away, turned his back on him, and went to sleep.Thaddeus touched his face, a little numb from being beaten. This woman really was ruthless. He worked hard to make her feel good, yet she slapped him away once satisfied.It was like he was a living tool. He had never met such a capricious woman.The man wanted more tenderness. The emptiness in his arms made him feel uncomfortable. He reached out to pull her into his embrace, pressing them close together so they could feel each other’s temperature and breaths. Then, he finally fell asleep...When Mona awoke, there was no one beside h
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