"Not sure yet." Henry glanced discreetly at Gabriella and continued, "We'll have to wait for the doctor to confirm." Gabriella thought he might not be ready for surgery until he got better."I'll be there for you during the surgery," Felise said. "Thank you, Lise.""Your hands are hurting me."Gabriella huffed and crossed her arms. She glanced at Henry and said, "Well, there's only bones left on the hands, how could they not?" Henry was speechless."Aunt Gabriella, don't be so harsh on Uncle Henry! He doesn't want this either …""Is that so? Why does he drink so much when he knows his stomach can't take it?""Because Uncle Henry was really upset that night!" Felise sighed, her eyebrows drooping. "He just loves you too much …""Felise." Gabriella looked sternly at her. Felise covered her mouth and glanced at Henry for help."Don't scold Lise, she's right," Henry said, looking at Gabriella.Gabriella's chest tightened slightly. "So what? We're done. I can't accept you just
Gabriella brought lunch to the hospital room, placing all the boxes of food on the table. Felise excitedly sat on the sofa and began picking, "I want this one, and this one too …"Gabriella asked Henry calmly, "What do you want to eat? Should I mix a bit of everything for you?"Henry shook his head, "No need, I can't eat."Gabriella sneered and asked, "You can't eat? Then why did Julian say you've been on a hunger strike, not eating anything after what I said?"Henry looked surprised and upset. "How would I know? It seems like you'll blame me for everything he does …"Okay, whatever. She was done with him. She closed her eyes. Out of sight, out of mind. During lunch, Henry sat beside them, working on his laptop. After they finished eating, Gabriella cleared the table.Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Mr. Henry?"Gabriella opened the door to find two middle-aged men standing there. Behind them were two younger people holding baskets and gifts. She paused briefly an
The smoke rose gradually, blurring Henry's expression.Henry furrowed his eyebrows when he heard the words "you guys". He hadn't really thought about it. He thought perhaps it had slipped Hannah's tongue, or she was just mentally unstable.He had already put the past behind him. Therefore, he wasn't willing to argue with Hannah over that matter. Henry held a cigarette between his slender fingers. He said plainly, "So, you met Grandpa? What did you say to him that day?"Hannah focused on Henry as her eyes turned dark. She said, "You're curious? Well, I'm not going to tell you!"Henry already had suspicions long ago.Albert still made such arrangements for the company's shares even if Hannah had told him that she was irreplaceable to Henry. Albert wasn't even angry at him. Instead, he was mean to Oliver. Also, Albert had always known about Henry's feelings on that matter. Therefore, how could he take it so badly?Despite cracking his skull open, Henry still couldn't figure it o
The room was silent for a moment. Just then, a childlike voice broke the quiet atmosphere, "Uncle Henry, I'm here!" Felise pushed the door open with a bang and hurried in.When she realized there was someone else in the room, she immediately stopped running. She stared inquisitively at Hannah with her large eyes and said unsurely, "Hi, Aunty?"Hannah's eyes widened when she turned and saw Felise.She was so skinny that her cheeks were hollow, and her eyes were sunken. She looked terrifying with just one glare from her protruding eyes. Feeling frightened, Felise immediately jumped into Henry's arms and whispered, "Uncle Henry, I'm scared."Henry discreetly kept the photograph on the table while hugging her. Then, he lifted his gaze and said to Hannah, "You should go back. Julian's waiting for you downstairs."Hannah turned to leave after glancing at Felise one last time. Just then, she bumped into Gabriella, who was entering the room.She narrowed her eyes on Gabriella's gor
Henry had gone to a lot of business gatherings before his marriage. Even Albert had advised him not to work so hard. However, it was just that he was too young, and a lot of people from the group didn't like him. Therefore, he had to put in more effort so that he wouldn't let Albert down.After his marriage, he went out for fewer business gatherings. Instead, he would always return home after work to eat with Gabriella. Why would he listen to her advice if he didn't like her?Before their marriage, he would always lose his temper whenever his employees made a mistake. The stressful work environment didn't help with his mood, either. However, under Gabriella's impression, he was gentler with his subordinates.He wasn't even aware of his change of behavior under her influence.By the time he realized, it was already too late.After listening to his sentimental confession, Gabriella was rendered speechless. She was happy since her love was finally reciprocated after nearly te
Gabriella was momentarily stunned. She wasn't sure what to do as she was overwhelmed with shock and embarrassment.The number of people chanting kept increasing. Robin had a flower bouquet in his arms. His youthful face was deep with emotion, and Gabriella's reflection was in his eyes. He asked earnestly, "Ms. Gabby, will you be my girlfriend?"Gabriella straightened her face. Her mind raced as she rapidly made a decision.She disguised her reluctance with a perfect smile. She then nodded and said in front of everyone, "Okay."Robin's lips twisted into a large grin, revealing his straight, pearly white teeth. His eyes gleamed with surprise and joy.He had never thought that Gabriella would agree immediately. The best-case scenario was that Gabriella would give it some consideration instead of rejecting him immediately."Woohoo—" The people around them began to cheer merrily in celebration.Under their watchful gazes, Robin handed Gabriella the bouquet. He approached her with
Robin hid the post from his parents and the elders to prevent them from gossiping about his love life.Other than that, he didn't hide the post from anyone else. He wasn't willing to anyway since he wanted to share this good news with his friends on Instagram.Not long after posting it, his friends, schoolmates, colleagues, and everyone else sent their blessings.One of the comments was from Shawn. Shawn: "Stay sweet."Robin: "Thank you, Mr. Toussaint."After that, Shawn immediately sent the Instagram post to Henry.Henry stared intently at the picture of the intertwined hands on his phone. His eyes completely darkened.The tiny hand in the picture was fair and slender. It was clearly a woman's hand.After marrying Gabriella for three years, how could he not recognize Gabriella's hand?Shawn was thoughtful enough to send Henry the post's comments and Robin's replies.Although there were only emojis and a picture, the comment section was filled with blessings and Robin's gra
Henry promptly rose from the bed, fetched the medicine box, and retrieved the thermometer to measure Gabriella's temperature. The digital display on the thermometer revealed a reading of 38.6.Henry located fever-reducing granules in the medicine box. Dissolving them in warm water, he administered the solution to Gabriella.He moistened a towel with warm water, gently wiping her forehead and neck.Putting the towel aside, Henry lifted her thermal innerwear and attempted to wipe her armpits. However, the snug fit thwarted his efforts.After a moment of consideration, Henry justified undressing her for the sake of her well-being—it was a gesture of care, he reassured himself.He took the towel and wiped her armpits, arms, and chest. As his eyes roamed over the subtle curves of her chest and the slender contours of her waist, his gaze darkened with increasing intensity.Once he was done wiping, Henry covered her with a blanket and stayed by the bedside. Every 20 minutes, he checked
Carmila, dressed in a gorgeous wedding gown, entered with Zain.After exchanging rings, Shawn and Carmila headed toward their parents in the front row.Layla's seat was on the opposite side, and the gorgeous flowers on stage hid her view, so she could only hear what was happening.The newlyweds appeared on stage with the four elders for a group shot.She narrowed her eyes and noticed that Shawn's mother resembled her landlord.Chris also had the same realization and whispered to her, "Layla, do you think that person looks like our landlord?""They do look quite similar."The ceremony was over. The newlyweds left, and the waiters began serving dishes.Carmila was pregnant and didn't need to toast. Only Shawn came forward to drink with the Sanderson elders.After toasting, he placed the wine glass on the tray, followed the elders' instructions, and turned to the next table.When he noticed a familiar figure at the table, he stopped and narrowed his eyes. He looked at Layla, the
Shawn and Carmila's wedding was rescheduled once Henry had been safely released from the detention center.However, Carmila's pregnancy was already showing, so the wedding was kept simple.Firstly, everyone thought she would appear unsightly if she married while being visibly pregnant. The second reason was that they feared the complex wedding would exhaust her and the child in her womb.Carmila was displeased, but she had no say in the matter. Furthermore, insisting on a bigger ceremony would make it appear that she didn't care about the child.The wedding car left Florin around 5:00 am and picked her up at 8:00 am.Shawn was in a suit, and Carmila was in a wedding gown. They stood together and carried out the ceremony amidst their elders' blessings.Then, he helped her into the bridal chamber.Meanwhile, Gabriella, along with Megan and several close relatives, entertained the guests who were seeing off the bride.Everyone left for the hotel around 10:00 a.m.Although the wed
Naturally, Elaine wouldn't tell the truth. "I've told you about Moabia before. They're the ones who took the watch. "I ran into Fay's friend at the mall two days ago. She recognized and mocked me! I was outraged and tried to scare them today. But they smashed my car, pinned me to the ground, and beat me!"Unexpectedly, Sam scowled. "Nothing would happen if you didn't scare them."As soon as he heard about Moabia, he knew that Gabriella's friend, whom Elaine mentioned, was Colene.Although he hadn't returned to Chatan at that time, he had been following Colene's Twitter account and checking it frequently. He knew she had accompanied Gabriella to Moabia.She wouldn't let herself suffer, and she wouldn't mock others without reason. There must be a reason for everything.Furthermore, Elaine's words lacked credibility.Everyone would choose to portray themselves favorably, including her. Just like when she broke a person's leg and said it was just a minor injury. Elaine couldn't b
Alicia looked over and saw Colene drag Elaine by the hair and push her to the ground. Colene even tied her hands with a rope as she struggled.Gabriella straddled Elaine, grabbed her chin, and slapped her twice.It was a rare opportunity to teach Elaine a lesson. She naturally wanted to settle the scores!Alicia was speechless. Sam's plane was about to land. She didn't want to face him with a bruised and swollen face."Ah! Just wait and see! I'll kill you bitches! Let go of me! My uncle will shoot you both! Ah! Fay, you bitch!"Elaine was crying and howling on the ground, her voice shrill. It was the first time in her life that she had suffered such humiliation! She swore to take revenge on them!She would make sure Blake had them jailed and executed!Elaine's cries attracted several passersby.Seeing that the destroyed car was a Maserati, they realized they couldn't intervene. So, they just watched from the side. No one dared to step forward.Someone was filming Gabriella, bu
They were her nemesis!Elaine fixed her gaze on Gabriella and Colene, filled with rage. "I must teach them a lesson!"Alicia, trying to discourage her, said, "Elaine, I don't think it's a good idea. We're in Chatan…""My uncle's here. What are you afraid of?" Elaine replied unconcernedly, "Follow me."Gabriella and Colene stepped into a clothing store while talking. The clothing in the store was stylish. Gabriella chose a one-shoulder dress and entered the changing room.Colene was outside and exclaimed with astonishment, "Damn! So the woman standing with Henry outside the women's restroom door that day was Elaine?"Gabriella frequently videocalled her while in Draken, telling her about her situation there.She then realized that Gabriella had met the self-righteous foolish Elaine, the young lady of the Draken's wealthy family, on the plane again."It's her," Gabriella responded as she changed clothes."She came to Florin?""Do you remember that we met a big shot at the pol
Then she turned slightly to see that Felise was still fast asleep. However, they were so close that they might wake her up.Gabriella didn't want Felise to catch them in the act.Henry didn't answer. He blew hot air onto Gabriella's neck, and goosebumps prickled her skin. He caught her earlobe and sucked it hard.A jolt of electricity seemed to shoot through her, and she shuddered. She curled her toes and shrank back.Suddenly, Gabriella became fully awake, and she tightened around Henry's hand. "What… what are you doing?"Henry's mouth was next to her ear, and his breath was hot on her earlobes. "I'm helping you relax.""No…""When you're relaxed, I'll sleep."Gabriella remained silent. Then, she bit her lip. "No, Henry… don't… uh, Lise is beside me… don't…"A light seemed to flash across her brain, and she stiffened suddenly, and her eyes went out of focus as she stared at the ceiling. Her breathing turned heavy.Henry kissed her cheek and got some wet towels to wipe her do
Felise hadn't seen Gabriella in two months, and she missed her dearly.After school, Felise got in line with the other children to leave the kindergarten. She looked around and heard her seatmate say, "Lise, your parents have come together to get you!"Felise followed the gaze of her seatmate, and she saw a man and a woman standing side by side, their eyes searching through the crowd of kindergarteners. The man wore a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his lean forearms. He wore black pants and a leather belt, which showed off his long legs. He looked like a model.The woman wore a fitting white lace blouse, and there was a white-gold necklace around her creamy neck. Her arms were fair and slender, like snow, and she wore a short khaki-colored miniskirt. Her legs were slim and fair, and her skin was flawless. They were a very good-looking couple, and they attracted the attention of many of the parents. Even the children couldn't help looking over at
It was already noon. Henry told the driver to make a detour to a restaurant. The waiter led them to a private room on the second floor and politely handed them a menu.Henry had come here a few times before. Perhaps it was because he didn't like lamb, but he only just noticed that there were several signature lamb dishes on the menu. Gabriella looked through the menu and ordered a few at random.Henry heard her orders and told the waiter, "Add a braised lamb and lamb rack.""You have great taste, sir. These are our signature dishes." The waiter smiled and noted it down."Will it be too much?""It's okay. We can bring it back if we can't finish it." Henry gave the menu to the waiter. "That's all."While they waited for the food to be served, the two of them chatted casually.Henry told her in detail about all the affiliated companies under Toussaint Holdings and the new products the studios were about to launch. He asked Gabriella which of these she was interested in. As lo
Then Layla heard something that made her lose all hope."Layla, come to my office."She opened her mouth, then deflated and said, "Okay."The intern looked curiously at Shawn's retreating figure and said, "Why does Mr. Shawn want to see you?""I don't know. Whatever it is, I'll find out when I go. I'm leaving." Layla carried an expression of dignified resignation.She guessed that Shawn wanted to see her about the office romance issue. She wasn't dating Robin, but it was worse than dating. Shawn had just stepped into the office when Layla followed him in. Her head was lowered, and she looked uneasy. "Mr. Shawn, what do you want to see me about?" she asked, her voice hoarse. Shawn sat down behind the desk and arranged the documents on it. He asked casually, "Do you remember what I asked you during your interview?""Y-yes… you asked me what I think about office romances." Layla lowered her gaze and answered in a small voice. Her palms were sweating, and her heart was in her t