Upon hearing this, my tense nerves gradually relaxed.Aunt Laura was right.If it's not biological, who could do such a thing?I helped Aunt Laura lie down on the bed, bent over to tuck her in. "How have you been feeling these days? Are you getting better?""Much better. The doctor said after another round of chemotherapy, I can focus on recuperating." "That's good."As I straightened up, Aunt Laura grabbed the silver pendant that had slipped out of my collar, carefully placed it back, and said, "Keep this silver pendant close to you. Don't let others see it."I was slightly taken aback. "Why?"Why would a piece of jewelry seem so secretive?Aunt Laura's eyes flashed as she explained, "It's... very valuable. I'm afraid it might attract ill-intentioned people.""Alright, I understand."The color of this silver pendant was even more elusive than the two jade ornaments grandpa had prepared for the children.I could understand Aunt's concern.I called Mr. White in and introdu
In winter, days were short and nights were long. By around six o'clock in the evening, it was completely dark. I arrived at the coffee shop just before half-past six.But Bob was already there.I walked towards him and got straight to the point. "What did you mean by what you said at the hospital today?"Bob lifted his chin slightly. "Have a seat.""You asked me to come, and here I am. Don't beat around the bush anymore." I sat down as he suggested.The previous customer must have sprayed a lot of perfume—I could smell it the moment I sat down, wrinkling my nose involuntarily.Bob caught my attention with his next words. "Surely you don't actually believe you're not your parents' biological child?""Don't talk nonsense. I just want to know what you meant at the hospital."If it was just a slip of the tongue out of anger, I did have my doubts. And if that was the case, he wouldn't have insisted on meeting me.Bob nervously shook his leg. "It was just something said in the heat
"Divorce?"She laughed like she heard some joke. "He's been doing his best to delay the divorce, you think I can't tell? But that’s a good thing. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get you here with just my own strength!"I grabbed the key word. "What do you mean?""What do I mean?"She revealed an intriguing smile. "You have offended someone you shouldn't have! Charlotte, don't be complacent anymore, in the face of power, me or you, are just ants that others can easily crush by lifting their feet."I had a vague guess in the back of my mind and tentatively followed up with, "This person you're talking about, is Bethany?"Other than her, I couldn't think of anyone else who had looked at me unfavorably recently.Jessica's eyes flashed for a moment, so fast that it was like an illusion on my part, and then she looked at me in amusement."You think I'd tell you?"She leaned over and looked at me, gritting her teeth. "I can't wait for you to die right now, I can't wait for her to act
I had just turned the doorknob when he grabbed the collar of my clothes from behind, his voice dark and malicious. "You little bitch! You dare deceive me, huh? Damn it, I'll show you!""No, please..."But no matter how I struggled, that one moment had drained all my strength, and I could only let him drag me towards the bed."Listen, is someone arguing in there?"Suddenly, a refined middle-aged man's voice came from the corridor outside."Oh... Dad, they've booked a room at the hotel, it's normal for young couples to argue. Let's go quickly, I just informed the restaurant to prepare our meal..."The man holding onto me instantly turned menacing, realizing I had unlocked the door.He threw me to the ground and reached to close the door, but someone pushed it open from outside!A pair of gleaming gentleman's shoes appeared in front of my eyes, then the gaze moved slightly upward to a pair of long legs clad in trousers.Thinking it was the middle-aged man who had spoken just now,
"He is Jessica's ex-husband." Ryan understood what I meant and explained softly, "This time, it's time for her to learn her lesson."At his words, I understood.Previously, due to my grandpa's dislike, Jessica had relied on brazenness to attend family banquets at the Frost family's old mansion, so I had never met Jessica's ex-husband.Now, treating her the way she treated others, even if it caused a scene, others would only think they were having a lover's spat.I believed in the principle of not offending others unless provoked, but if she wished me dead, I wouldn't show mercy either.Seeing me lost in thought, Ryan rubbed my head gently. "Are you hurt?"I shook my head. "No."Thinking back to the scene in the room, I still felt a lingering fear, and my hands were trembling slightly.Ryan's eyes darkened, and unexpectedly, I sensed a tinge of concern from him.He patiently held me, gently rubbing my back, softly reassuring, "It's okay now. You're safe, I'm here."After a whi
I didn't hear everything clearly, but I understood clearly what he was trying to express.A part of me that had been calm for a long time almost collapsed again.Nails scraped across the palm.A subtle pain awakened a hint of rationality. "Is it dry now?"Ryan seriously ran his fingers through my hair a few times. "Yeah, it's almost done."The sound of the hairdryer disappeared, leaving the room quiet.I nodded. "Okay... thank you."Suddenly, he hugged me from behind, his lips against my ear, cautiously and ambiguously probing, "Did you hear what I said, even a little?"A proud man like him might have been apologizing like this for the first time.Different from the casually insincere "I'm sorry" in the past, this time, he had truly let go of his dignity.I wanted to surrender at this moment, but I was too afraid, afraid of repeating the same mistakes, afraid of being like a moth to a flame.Suppressing the bitterness in my heart, prompted by reason, I said, "I heard. But, R
I had grown to love what he loves.How could I feel forced?Ryan's dark eyes glittered, compelling. "Then I’m not forcing myself either. Come on, eat."I couldn't bear it. "Your stomach can’t take it.""You've been doing this for three years, can't I do it even once? You're underestimating me too much," he spoke earnestly.I lowered my eyes. "Then do as you wish."After dinner, he took the initiative to wash the dishes, and I continued to work without guilt.Unlike Jack, I would feel embarrassed if Jack washed dishes, after all, we were just ordinary friends.But him, I had taken care of him for three years. Now, if he cooked and washed the dishes, it wasn't too much."Do you have any stomach medicine?"While I was studying the style of the company's first batch of new products, Ryan rubbed his stomach and settled into the nearby sofa.I couldn't help but want to laugh. I poured a cup of medicine and placed it in front of him. "Didn't you say I was underestimating you?"His
Immediately, the house fell into a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.Ryan's obsidian-like eyes stared at me unblinkingly, churning with unresolved emotions.The indifferent demeanor he once had towards everything seemed unsustainable now.The atmosphere became tense and oppressive.After what seemed like an eternity, he slowly got up, meticulously folding the blanket, grabbing the coat on the single sofa, draping it over his elbow, his voice low. "Sorry for disturbing you last night, I'll leave now."Unconsciously, I picked at my fingers and asked again, "The divorce certificate...""Let's talk about it later."Avoiding my gaze, Ryan's long lashes partially concealed his emotions. "Gary just called, you heard it too. I need to rush back to the company for a meeting."With those words, almost without giving me a chance to respond, he strode away with his long legs.As if afraid I would refuse him.I looked down at the floor, faintly hearing the sound of the elevat
At noon, only Whitney admitted that Jane was her sister-in-law. Jane even gave her a little gift.As for Caleb, neither Jane or Zachary cared if he admitted it or not.They thought Whitney had married Caleb for the sake of business.But just now, the two of them were so intimate, unable to part with each other, and even had a visible kiss mark that couldn't be hidden by a turtleneck.Given this relationship, wasn't it reasonable for Caleb to admit that they were his brother-in-law and sister-in-law?However, Caleb didn't really know them well, and they didn't know his personality either. Naturally, he couldn't just say that he recognized them as his in-laws.As for Westley, everyone knew him well.Besides, Westley had married Jane's younger sister, so he should be recognizing them as well."That’s unnecessary, Mr. Hilton," said Zachary. "Jordan is Jane's sister, both of them are from the Jackson family, though they've been separated for years due to some unfortunate circumstanc
"Since Mr. Hilton spoils his wife so much, how about you drink this wine for Whitney instead?"Caleb curved his lips into a smile, picked up his glass, and said, "You’re not going to double the amount if I drink for her, right, Mrs. Smith?"Before Charlotte could speak, Frank intervened.He placed one hand on Charlotte's shoulder, gently swirled his wine glass with the other, his posture relaxed and casual."Since Mr. Hilton is so interested, how can I not satisfy your requests on my turf?"He even brought Zachary into it. "Today is your big day, it's your stage, so set an example by taking the first round."Zachary glanced at him indifferently. He was pretending to be drunk today, but Frank hadn’t gone easy on him.He had originally planned to use water for his drinks, but Frank had switched it back to real alcohol.Now, he was starting trouble again."Oh!" Frank suddenly seemed to remember something. "I forgot, Mr. Collins drank a lot at lunch. I guess the alcohol in his sto
No one had called for dinner yet.She knew that Zachary and Jane were getting married today, so they might be staying in the room for a while.Caleb and Whitney were the ones they thought would be spending time together.So, she first knocked on Charlotte's room.She figured that they wouldn't necessarily want to spend time together right now.But she was wrong.No one answered Charlotte's door.However, Jane sent her a message saying she would get up soon.Then Charlotte also spoke up in their group chat.That was when she came to call Whitney.She guessed that the two should have finished their intimate act by now...Whitney, ignoring the discomfort in her body, used both hands and feet to escape from Caleb's embrace.She first responded to Jordan at the door and then rushed into the bathroom.Caleb came in shortly after.When his bare back pressed against her, Whitney was startled. "Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"Caleb held her and chuckled. "Honey, have you eve
Westley patted her on the head. "You're asking me about this because you want to help Mandy, or..."Mandy and Jordan hadn't been in touch much over the past few years, but before university, they had a pretty good relationship.When Mandy ran into trouble and went to the north, Jordan was furious.It took him several days to calm her down.But then, unexpectedly, his relationship with her had also fallen apart.Looking back now, he wondered if it was because Carter always treated him and maintained his health, but in doing so, perhaps he had also pushed the love out of his own life.Jordan shook her head. "I won’t interfere with other people’s relationships. I'm just asking out of curiosity."Westley didn't expect that but still told her about the situation."Caleb did indeed relent. He will give Carter a chance to meet with Mandy. And this was something, Zachary, Frank, and I, were all aware of but haven't spoken about it openly. Zachary is pretending to be drunk."Jordan had
Caleb and Zachary had a drink and then left with Whitney.Carter didn't even have time to drink with Zachary and hurriedly followed them.At that moment, Zachary's and the others were here to watch the show.But they didn't expect, when they turned the corner, to see Caleb pinning Whitney against the wall, kissing her.The man's brows and eyes were full of flirtatious charm, and he blocked Whitney's profile, glancing over.He asked, "What's wrong? Haven't you seen a married couple kiss?"There was no sign of Carter anywhere.They didn't want to interrupt the couple's private moment, so Westley and Frank escorted Zachary to his room, then went back to their own rooms with their wives.Jane pretended to wipe Zachary's face and was about to leave.But Zachary grabbed her and pulled her into the bed."Mr. Collins, you're getting more and more skilled at pretending to be drunk."Zachary opened his eyes and kissed her forehead.His hoarse voice carried a hint of weakness."Honey
Back then, when Rebecca caused such a scene, it was like she was a clown.And they hadn't suspected anything. Nathan and Jane looked very similar, and what Nathan said was very reasonable. The Jackson family had suffered a major blow, so they were certainly more meticulous about such matters.They wouldn't make such mistakes.The room was in an uproar, no one expected the situation to reverse like this.The reporters didn't even eat, quickly grabbing their cameras, sending out messages, and fighting for the headline.Nathan didn't say much more, handing the microphone to the emcee before walking off the stage.The emcee, amid the fading music, announced in a loud voice, "The ceremony is complete—"Petals rained down from above.Zachary lowered his head and kissed Jane, asking her, "Are you satisfied?"Jane glared at him, "Are you trying to get your mom killed from a heart attack for me?""That won't happen," replied Zachary. "I know what I'm doing. After all, she made a mista
But he didn't explain. Instead, he asked, "You're really cold-hearted. Your brother's crying like that, and you can't even manage to squeeze out a tear?"Whitney had always been emotionally detached.She did have some emotions stirring inside, but shedding tears was very difficult for her.She had never cried since she was little.Because crying meant getting punished.But before she could say anything, she heard Caleb whisper something flirtatious into her ear.She could remain emotionless and composed about almost everything.But she simply couldn't resist Caleb's teasing. The private things he said to her, especially in public, always caught her off guard.She cared about her image.Unlike him, a charming young man with plenty of experience in the art of flirting, who could easily say whatever he wanted in any setting.She didn't know how to rebut him and could only remain silent, her gaze fixed on the stage.She was more curious about why Nathan was getting up to speak.
The emcee announced that it was time for the couple to kiss. Jordan quickly went up to prepare the rings, not noticing the change in Westley's expression.She was then busy with handing over the rings.Now her task was complete.Westley took her to the main table and made her drink some water.The dishes began to come out one after another, and everyone started eating.But Rebecca wanted to leave.Frank stopped her. "Nathan hasn't spoken yet. Godmother, if you leave now, it's too early. You've come all the way here, just stay a little longer."Rebecca didn't understand. "What is Nathan going to say?"Frank replied, "You'll find out when you listen in."Rebecca wanted to leave because she didn't want to hear the sweet words that Zachary was going to say to Jane on the stage.Jane hadn't even shed a tear, but Zachary, a grown man, was crying uncontrollably.She couldn't bear to face it.But it was obvious that Frank didn't want her to leave, so she couldn't.The two of them
Jane understood the reasoning, but as a woman, hearing about Mandy's experiences truly made her feel heartbroken.She said with a sigh, "Frank thinks the same way, right?"Charlotte nodded. "Yes, Frank won't completely offend Carter. Who knows if people will remain safe and healthy for the next few decades?"Jane, however, thought of someone. "Tanner.""We don't know much about Tanner, and we're not sure how much she can help. By the way, it was Carter who performed Zachary's mother's surgery."Charlotte pondered for a moment. "Zachary should also follow Frank's lead, stepping down a little. After all, it was the Hilton family who acted, and it has nothing to do with him. You can't blame him for it."Jane, if she hadn't already done her hair, would have scratched her head.Her mind was about to explode."Jane, I think we should just go with the flow. When it comes to feelings, it's hard for outsiders to interfere. Look at me and Westley, even as your own sister, you couldn't ch