"There's no need," Gabriella shouted at the door, rejecting him at once.Henry persisted. "I made your favorite sausages and stew.""Eat it yourself. Don't annoy me.""Gabby, can you please open the door for a while? You don't want me to keep knocking like this, do you?"A vein throbbed on Gabriella's forehead. She strode over and opened the door. She stared at him angrily."What do you want, Henry? I've already told you not to come and pester me again. Can't you understand?"Henry carried a lunchbox in one hand and his phone in the other. He looked innocently at her. "I'm sorry, Gabby. I had to do this because I had no choice. Please listen to Julian's explanation, and I'll leave immediately once you've heard it. I promise not to bother you!"Gabriella's heart tightened.She had already gotten rid of Julian to prevent herself from getting caught.She hadn't expected him to contact Julian. Julian had been following her during her entire stay in Draken. No one knew better
The private room was decorated extravagantly. It was very luxurious. "Charles, I've been keeping up with you. I'm glad that you're fine." Eliana George was wearing a sexy, haute couture gown. She sat elegantly on the sofa and slowly blew out a smoke ring. She held a cigarette between her fingers. There was a young male waiter standing behind her. He was handsome and attentive. He was massaging her shoulders. "It's nothing. Thank you for the concern, Madam."Henry sat on the chaise longue next to them. He leaned back and crossed his legs, his arm resting idly on the armrest. "How have you been lately, Madam?"Eliana batted her eyelashes and looked at Henry in mock resentment. "Not very well. The last time we met each other was a year ago. I've missed you so much in the past year!"Henry's expression did not change, as if he did not take Eliana's joke to heart. "I saw on the news recently that Jason Carlyle of Dasiah Group was a guest of honor of yours and that he travel
Eliana was a regular at the bar. However, she had recently gotten Jason. They were in the honeymoon period. That was why she hadn't been to the bar in a while. Richard was a new hire, which was why she did not recognize him. Richard said, "You must have a reason, Madam."Eliana was confused. She thought that he had a girlfriend.She wondered why he was being so proactive."I'll just be direct then. I quite like you and would like to be your sugar mama. What do you think?"Richard nodded instinctively. "It would be my honor."Eliana was startled. "Are you sure?""Of course."Eliana wondered if they had gotten the wrong person. She took out the photo and compared the person before her against the image. There was no mistake. "This is the contract. Have a look." Eliana had prepared a contract in advance, and it was on the table. It could be signed immediately. Richard walked over and read it closely. It was a contract for financial support. After he signed,
Henry had no choice but to explain. "I sent someone to follow Richard. I wanted to see if I could find any dirt on him. I didn't expect to get photos like this. Gabby, trust me, these photos are real. I only sent them to you via an unknown account because I was afraid that you wouldn't believe me."Gabriella crossed her arms and looked at Henry. Her eyes seemed to bore into him, and she did not say anything. He was obviously lying. If he really had sent someone to follow Richard, he would have learned that Richard was a waiter at a bar. He obviously had no idea, though. Henry smiled awkwardly and said in an earnest tone, "Trust me, Gabby."Gabriella smiled and pointed to the woman in the photo. "Do you know this woman?""No … yes."Henry's eyes flashed when he met hers. He changed his mind and said innocently, "I merely had her try and seduce Richard, but I didn't expect him to get hooked. Even if I hadn't told her to go, someone like Richard would have cheated sooner o
Selena had no choice but to walk over and ask, "What's the matter, Fay?"Gabriella showed her the photos in the camera. "I can't find the right angle, and the photos don't look good."Selena looked at the photos and flipped further. She looked confusedly at Gabriella. "These are pretty good, aren't they?"Gabriella asked, "Are these good?""Aren't they?""How are they good?""Don't you think you're being a bit too demanding? Why don't we let Mr. Charles have a look?"Gabriella paused and looked up at Henry. "Come and see."Henry stood up and walked over. He looked at the photos in the camera and smiled. "They're pretty good, Fay. You have great technique."Wyatt approached and glanced at the photos. He looked confused. The model had a strong foundation and wouldn't look ugly no matter who took the photos. How could they tell that she had good technique? Charles really was too kind. "Speak the truth.""I am speaking the truth."Gabriella remained silent and pres
Halfway through, Gabriella headed to the toilet and heard an argument in the lobby. She did not want to return to the private room, so she stood at the foot of the stairs to watch. She quickly understood what it was about. Two women were fighting over a man. The man was in a relationship with one of the women, but he had had an affair with the other. He now wanted to break up with his girlfriend. His girlfriend refused and stated that she loved her boyfriend very much. She even said that she didn't mind him cheating and that she would be fine with it if her boyfriend continued contacting the third party. Gabriella was shocked. She wondered if such people truly existed.Gabriella began walking back when she figured out the situation. She sensed something dawning on her. She seemed to have missed something. When Gabriella had been forced by Henry to break up with Robin and Richard, or when she had seen photos of them being intimate with other women, she hadn't felt sad a
A waiter at a bar?How could Gabriella have feelings for that kind of person? She had even lied and said that Richard was a bar mural artist.Henry felt that he really needed to have Gabriella get her eyes checked."When?" The vein on Henry's forehead throbbed."About a week ago, she came to the bar with her friend and said that her ex-husband was going to come and harass her soon." Richard watched Henry's expression grow darker.He continued, "She said she wanted to hire someone to act as her boyfriend. Then she chose me."Henry was silent for a few seconds and looked coldly at Richard as if he was a corpse. "You're lying! If you've only known each other for a week, how could she have feelings for you? Tell me, have you already known each other for a few years?"Richard explained hurriedly, "What I've said is true! I'm not lying. All my colleagues can testify. There's even a contract! I can show you the contract!""Contract?""Yes, we signed a contract. After the contra
"Gabby." Henry looked resigned. "I know that what I did was wrong.""Then tell me why you were wrong.""I shouldn't have just decided on my own to put on an act with Hannah and distance myself from you. I should have communicated with you and respected your choice."Gabriella laughed coldly. "If you know that, then why would you still choose to do it again?""Gabby, I can't take any chances with your safety.""Then you could have told me the truth and arranged for me to go abroad like you did with Grandma and Felise. It's not like I'm an unreasonable person who would insist on hindering you. In the end, Henry, you just don't trust me. I kept clinging to you at Fleurville Hospital, so you were afraid that I would refuse to leave and become a burden to you. You were afraid that I would destroy your plan—""Gabby," Henry interrupted her and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked intently into her eyes and said solemnly, "I've never thought that way. You've never been a bu
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