Gabriella knew Natalie had approached her for a reason. So, it was because of that.After giving it some thought, she knew what was going on. She snickered inwardly.She figured that the Melo family demanded an explanation from the Caddel family after hearing what Henry said. The Caddel family wanted to save Yasmine, so they needed a way to bail Elijah out. That was why Natalie was here.After abandoning her for 20 years, she returned for Yasmine's sake. "How touching!" Gabriella thought.When Natalie noticed Gabriella's cold expression, she pushed the salad to her. Her expression was gentle when she said, "Gabby, I know you're very conflicted about this matter, but I'm doing this for your own good. Think about it. You and your friend were unharmed. "Elijah's also a kind young man. He didn't mean any harm. Wouldn't it be a shame if he went to jail? The Melo family and the Caddel family would owe you one if you forgave him. "That would boost your career. Why must you take th
Gabriella gradually regained consciousness and opened her eyes. She gazed at the white ceiling and was momentarily lost in thought. Tears pooled in her eyes as she recalled the events before she passed out. They streamed down from the corners of her eyes. Profound grief welled within her.She deeply wished that it was just a dream that she could wake up from to learn that Natalie had never come to Florin City and Hiram was still her father. "Gabby, don't cry." A large hand reached over. The long, slender fingers gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Henry said, "The doctor said you need to remain calm. Otherwise, it's not good for your health." Gabriella slowly shifted her gaze to the person in front of her. She swallowed and said in a choked voice, "Henry.""Yeah, I'm here," said Henry. He held her back and gently helped her sit up. Then, he placed a pillow behind her. Gabriella hugged him and rested her head on his shoulder. Tears rolled down h
The pitch-black room concealed Gabriella's expression. Henry took Gabriella's silence as a sign that she was still upset about her parentage and what Natalie did. He hugged her from behind and whispered, "Gabby, do you know what Grandma told me that day when we were alone?"Before she could answer, he continued, "She told me that Charles is not my father. He's actually my uncle."Gabriella's breath caught in her throat. She considered that if Charles were his uncle, his mother would be Diana. Henry said, "I was registered under my uncle's name because my mom was a mistress, and I'm a bastard. Even with different parents, I'm still a bastard …"Gabriella quickly turned around and hugged him. She felt so guilty. "I'm sorry."Back then, when she had enquired about what Aster told him, his response was vague. He clearly did not want her to know about his painful parentage. But now, he had bared his scars to comfort her. Henry said, "I want to tell you that there's nothing we
Jack was a long-time servant of the Caddel family. He had been serving the family since Arthur was young. Therefore, he knew of the past relationship between Arthur and Diana. He was also aware of Henry's existence. The situation involving the three families had been quite messy in the past. It was common for wealthy families to have bastards. Some wives from these families even went shopping with their husband's mistresses. But their specific situation involved a tragic twist—the death of Charlotte. The Bowman family held onto this fact and wanted to protect Frank's interests. Hence, they were firmly against Diana's child marrying into the Caddel family. If her child were to marry into the Caddel family, Diana would use the excuse of visiting her child to maintain her connection to Arthur. At that time, Arthur's father was still alive. He had chosen Charlotte as his daughter-in-law. To preserve the relationship with their in-laws, and out of sympathy for his grandson, Fran
Arthur caught his breath. It's no surprise that the name "Gabriella Carrington" sounded so familiar when he heard it from Mitchell. Although he kept an eye on Henry, he did not raise Henry by his side. He had a busy schedule and could not pay much attention. Hence, he was not aware of everything about Henry. He only knew that Henry's personal life had frequently made the entertainment headlines last year. After casually watching the interview about Henry, he learned that Henry had married the foster daughter of the Toussaint family. However, they divorced afterward. He never remembered the name of the foster daughter. Surprisingly, it turned out to be Gabriella. Looking into his eyes, Henry continued, "Although we're divorced, Grandpa had asked me to take good care of her before he passed away." He continued, "Two days ago, the people from the Melo family came and threatened her by using her friend. I managed to send them away. Shortly after, your wife, Ms. Jeans, unexpectedl
Natalie received a call from Arthur, requesting her return to Joseubury first. She was confused. "I haven't obtained the memorandum of understanding yet. Why should I go back?"Arthur asked, "Gabriella is your daughter, isn't she?"Natalie fell silent immediately. Arthur asked again, "What did you say to her?"Natalie replied, "Nothing much. I just revealed her identity."Arthur felt that Henry was telling the truth. "Henry visited our house just now. He said Gabriella was so heartbroken that she fainted. He came to seek justice for her. So, don't bother her anymore."Natalie asked, "But what about Yasmine?"Arthur said, "I know you care deeply for Yasmine. But she was at fault in this matter. Gabriella is your child after all. Why would you torture her? Your ex-husband is dead, and the child is innocent. Even if you don't love her, don't hurt her feelings."Natalie bit her lips and defended herself."I … I had no choice. I could not just watch Yasmine be taken away by
A light fragrance wafted in the air of the private room of the luxurious restaurant.When Gabriella saw Natalie, her heart grew heavy as she thought of her past. She put her bag down expressionlessly and pulled out the chair across from her. Natalie pointed to all the dishes on the table and said, "We didn't have much time the last time we met. This time, I ordered some food so we can eat while we talk.""No, let's just talk about it right away." Gabriella leaned back in her chair. She had no wish to have small talk with Natalie. "Colene and I can empathize with Elijah, but you need to show your sincerity."If they were going to settle, then they would have to maximize the profits. Natalie raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected this, and she smiled as she said, "I'm glad to hear you say that, Gabby. You've got to act in accordance with the times. Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly."Gabriella felt that the room was rather warm.She looked up and saw that the heater was on
Gabriella's breathing grew heavier, and she had no energy to wonder what had happened to her. She began to rub against the muscular body she had her arms around. Henry's breath hitched, and he held her wriggling body tightly. When the car drove into the basement garage, he carried Gabriella out of the car and entered the elevator. They went straight up to the 19th floor—his floor. At that moment, Maria was cleaning the living room while Felise was in the bathroom. Maria heard the door open and looked up to see Henry stride in with a woman in his arms. He headed straight for the master bedroom. Maria immediately recognized Gabriella, who was sweating and looked flushed, as if she had a fever. She hurriedly put her broom down and said, "Mr. Toussaint, is Mrs. Toussaint running a fever? I'll get some paracetamol."Henry was about to stop her but changed his mind at the last moment. "Bring it to the bedroom, and send in a hot water bottle as well. "Okay." Maria hurried off
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