"Mom... Why... I'm the customer here!""Behave yourself!"Mrs. Shaw, swallowing her anger, handed the phone back to Frank and turned to me with a forced smile. "Ms. Wilson, as the designer of the dress, please make sure to attend the engagement party next week. If there are any issues with the dress, it will be easier to resolve them if you're present.""Safe travels. I won’t be seeing you out."I made a gesture to indicate that they could leave. "Please transfer the final payment to the account from last time. Thank you."After the farce, it was already nearing seven o'clock.I suggested treating them to pizza.Just as we reached the underground car park, Jane received a call about a drinking party and decided to abandon me.So it was just Frank, Megan, and me.Frank raised his chin a little. "Get in my car. I'll drop you and Megan off at work tomorrow.""Alright."As I walked over to open the rear door, Megan pushed me into the front seat, "Charlotte, sit in the front. It'
I instinctively took a step back. "Frank..."He glanced at me, suppressing his emotions, and said curtly, "Leave."He then squatted down and began picking up the shards of the broken piggy bank, carefully.I felt quite sorry and quickly crouched down to help him, "I'm sorry, I..."He didn't even look up and repeated coldly, "I said leave.""Charlotte, let's go..."Megan grabbed my hand and led me out, gently closing the door behind us before explaining, "That piggy bank was his most treasured possession. He took it everywhere and never let anyone touch it.""He..." I felt some guilt and wanted to make amends. "Do you know where I can buy a replacement for that piggy bank? I'll get him a new one.""It can't be bought."Megan shook her head helplessly, "That piggy bank was a gift made by a ceramic artist that Lily begged Madam Shaw to invite for my brother's birthday. It was made just for him. The rabbit on it represents Lily herself. She wanted to accompany my brother every day
As I invited him in and changed my shoes, I couldn't help but ask, "Were you able to find something about my background?"He paused for a moment, then smiled lightly. "How did you guess so quickly?""How did it go?"I was eager to know. Although my parents had passed away many years ago, it was very important to me to know whether I was truly their child.He walked over to the sofa, handed me a file, and said helplessly, "Indeed, Bob was talking nonsense. Don't dwell on this anymore. It would make your parents sad if they knew."Hearing this, I felt my heart settle and began to flip through the file. It contained my birth certificate, various medical records from childhood, blood type, date of birth... Everything matched up.With each thing I checked, my heart felt more at ease.I was completely reassured. I was indeed my parents' child, and their affection for me was never false."Thank you so much, Jack!"I looked at Jack with gratitude. "Have you eaten? There are still
I had to admit, it was quite heartbreaking.When Ryan and I got married, there was no engagement party. Even the wedding was handled entirely by Grandpa. He only reluctantly made an appearance. It wasn't grand at all because he said he didn't want it to be public. The wedding was attended only by the Frost family and close friends, making it as simple as a dinner party.From our marriage to divorce, outsiders only knew that he pampered his wife, but few knew who his wife actually was. I repressed my emotions, shifted my gaze, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryan striding in with a custom-made tailcoat, his expression cold and detached. On his arm was Bethany, wearing a dress I had designed myself. They looked like a golden couple, their attire shimmering and radiant. Their appearance drew many guests' attention.Several people tried to approach and ingratiate themselves.However, Bethany walked towards me, embodying the demeanor of the hostess. "Ms. Wilson, I invited you
This problem shouldn't have occurred.When I sewed the dress, the stitches were even and dense, and the dress was made to perfectly fit her body. Even if the strap broke, it should have stayed temporarily at the chest level and not fallen immediately. Unless, of course, the zipper at the back also broke at the same time.But that was impossible.The fabric and zipper suppliers were both the same as the ones used during my time at the Frost Group, and their quality was absolutely reliable.Regardless, this was a dress I had personally made.I grabbed my coat, stood up, and ran onto the stage. Just as I was about to help her put on the dress, she slapped me across the face in a fit of rage!"Are you doing this on purpose? Are you trying to embarrass me today!!"I instinctively covered my stinging face and, without hesitation, slapped her back. "Bethany, I'm not insane enough to ruin my own work!"Bethany's eyes widened in fury, and she was about to lunge at me again when Ryan, wh
In the Shaw family's residence’s living room.Snowflakes had started drifting down outside the French windows again, twirling as they fell. A thin layer of white had already accumulated on the ground.Inside, the heating was turned on, but I shivered at the cold gaze from Mrs. Shaw. They had looked into me thoroughly. They even looked into things that happened before I came to Jelaston, which is why they locked me in the storage room and deliberately cut off the power. They had gone to great lengths to deal with me, an ex-wife.Mrs. Shaw took a sip of tea and looked at me with contempt. "Have you reconsidered leaving Jelaston?"I stood up straight. "And what's the reason this time?"Last time it was through coercion and inducement. What would they do this time?"After the first dress that came out of your company after starting the business, such problems arose."Mrs. Shaw curved her lips in a mocking smile. "Do you think your company will be able to remain open? It would be b
Bethany's face stiffened slightly as she snorted coldly. "So what if I did cut it myself?"Upon hearing this, I lost interest in continuing the argument and turned to Mrs. Shaw. "Mrs. Shaw, can I leave now?"I thought she was just getting revenge for her daughter. Now that the truth was clear, it had nothing to do with me.To my surprise, she affectionately pinched Bethany's cheek. "Are you out of your mind? Sacrificing your own reputation just to frame her?"Bethany pouted and said coquettishly, "Mom, I'm sorry! She's so stubborn; I had no choice but to resort to this method.""Alright." Mrs. Shaw said in a loving tone, "You go upstairs first. I will handle this."Her tone was gentle, without a hint of blame. She seemed to be the most indulgent mother in the world.Bethany smiled happily. "You’re the best, Mom!"With that, she skipped upstairs, and Mrs. Shaw looked at her with a warm smile, her demeanor very soft.Once Bethany's figure disappeared, Mrs. Shaw slowly withdrew h
I couldn't hear clearly. But she spoke so slowly that I could read her lips. Before I could look away, a figure hurriedly passed by me!It was Mr. Shaw.Soon, the sounds of objects crashing and faint arguments echoed from the living room.I heard my own name, as well as Ryan's. There were also mentions of online scandals.Finally, a clear and angry shout came from Mr. Shaw. "She's spoiled and headstrong, and you still have to make a fuss? Let her keep kneeling outside in this heavy snow, and if word gets out..."Suddenly, the snow stopped.I took me a while to realize that there was a shadow over my head. Looking up, I saw a large, pure black umbrella and Frank's deep, brown eyes!His face was expressionless as he handed me the umbrella. "Can you hold it?"I rubbed my somewhat numb hands. "I can..."Before I could finish, he shoved the umbrella into my hand.In the next moment, the man in the black leather jacket half-knelt on the ground, silently lifted me into his arms,
The Collins family’s expressions all changed.Although Madam Collins had spoken so casually, deep down, she was certainly still displeased about Zachary marrying Jane.She had simply seen the deeper truth. Zachary was resolute about Jane.She also understood that Zachary was no longer someone they could control.But when this was bluntly laid bare, her chest still tightened.“What do you mean by that?” Rebecca pressed.Sean merely replied, “That’s all I can say. And that’s because of the bond we share as former master and servant. After all, now I must follow Mr. Collins’s orders.”The room fell into a prolonged silence.Madam Collins broke it with a soft chuckle.She looked at Rebecca and said, “You said he doesn’t acknowledge you as his mother, yet he could have quietly gone off to register the marriage without us knowing, but instead, he let Sean inform us.”Rebecca didn’t immediately react.Madam Collins clarified, “He specifically instructed Sean to pass the news to you
At the hospital.Rebecca listened to Sean's report.When she heard that Zachary had come to the hospital, she immediately panicked. "I knew that woman was bad luck! Ever since Zachary got together with her, he's been plagued with all sorts of misfortune and illness!"Eric hesitated before speaking. "Zachary went to see the doctor because of morning sickness?""What?"Rebecca couldn't believe her ears. "Do you even hear how ridiculous that sounds?"Sean chimed in, "It’s true."Rebecca was rendered speechless.Sean explained, "I consulted with an expert. This kind of situation is rare but does happen. If a husband deeply loves his wife, seeing her suffer during pregnancy can cause him to experience symptoms like morning sickness."At that moment, Rebecca felt like a beehive had exploded in her ears.All she could hear was a loud buzzing noise.It took her a long moment to recover before she scoffed."He’s such a good husband, isn’t he? I risked my life to give birth to him an
Jane leaned in for a sniff. "Smells so good."Zachary’s worries were unnecessary, she only took a few bites before losing interest.The rest ended up in his stomach.Which then found its way to the toilet, and finally, down the drain.After Zachary rinsed his mouth, Jane peeled an orange for him. "Try this, see if it helps."Zachary ate the orange directly from her hand.It was so sour it made his teeth ache.Still, it seemed to provide some relief.Jane poured him some water."You don’t need to take care of me, I can handle myself.""And I can handle myself too," Jane retorted. "Why are you always doing things for me, then?""It’s different—you’re pregnant."Zachary drank a sip of the water, mostly because she had poured it."I’m just throwing up a little," said Jane.She had experienced it before—constant retching, even with nothing left in her stomach. That kind of discomfort was hard to endure.His voice was hoarse by now, which showed just how bad it had gotten.At
However, the test results showed nothing wrong.Even after being in a coma for those days, his body remained strong thanks to the nutritional IV.As long as he avoided alcohol and irritating foods, his gastritis wouldn't flare up.It certainly wouldn't become severe enough to cause this kind of reaction.Yet Zachary's vomiting was even more intense than her pregnancy nausea.Even though there was nothing left to throw up—not even stomach acid—if he kept going, he might end up vomiting bile.It really didn’t seem like the symptoms of someone perfectly healthy.So Jane contacted Tanner.After hearing her description, Tanner chuckled.Jane felt as though Tanner was gloating."Isn’t this great? He’s throwing up for you, so you can feel a bit better."Jane was taken aback.Over the time she had spent taking Zachary to the doctor, she truly hadn’t felt any discomfort herself.She had thought it was because she hadn’t eaten much, so her symptoms were temporarily subsiding."Dr.
Jane washed her face, took a moment to gather herself, then straightened up and hugged him."Stop reflecting on yourself already, hearing it makes my pregnancy symptoms worse."The tactic worked well, as she didn’t hear any more apologies from him afterward."I feel like eating an orange. Could you peel one for me?"Zachary immediately carried her to the sofa, tucked a blanket over her, and sat beside her to peel the orange.He meticulously removed every single white thread from the orange segments.Resting her chin on her hand, Jane watched him and teased, "You’re treating me even better now that I’m pregnant. Do you love the baby more than me?"Without hesitation, Zachary replied, "It’s because pregnancy is hard on you. If you hadn’t agreed to have the baby, I wouldn’t have kept—"Before he could finish, Jane kicked him, silencing him.He handed her the peeled orange.Jane couldn’t taste her mood anymore, so she focused on eating the orange.Zachary felt his teeth ache jus
"I envy his fiancee so much!""You women are so shallow. Just because he’s buying some raviolis, you think he’s humbled himself for love. Why don’t you think about this—he’s the son of an affluent family. If he hadn’t picked someone from such a poor background, why would he come to this rundown place to buy these commoner foods?"As soon as the man finished speaking, he felt a sharp, cold gaze land on him.The people who had been enthusiastically discussing with him moments earlier suddenly avoided looking at him.But Zachary merely glanced at him.His raviolis were already packed, and he was eager to bring them back for Jane.He didn’t linger long, nor did he feel the need to waste his words on clueless fools like these.Besides, even if he explained, they probably wouldn’t understand—or even care.Meanwhile, Jane had been leaning against the car window, watching Zachary the whole time. When she saw him walking back, she opened the car door for him.“Hurry, get in.”Zachary
They were heading back to their cozy little nest.On the way, her phone rang. When she saw the caller ID, she slapped Zachary’s thigh.“Oh no!”Zachary looked confused.“I forgot about Jordan!”Jordan had mentioned that she would be filming, and Westley had been by her side the entire time to protect her.Jane, preoccupied with her own matters, had assumed that with Westley around, nothing would go wrong.Her return to the country had been a last-minute decision, and she had left in a hurry.She was also dealing with the discomfort of her pregnancy.All the emotions and tasks piling up caused her to completely forget.Sure enough, when she answered the call, Jordan’s voice was full of grievance.“Aren’t we good friends?”“Yes, yes, we are,” Jane replied with an awkward cough. “Something urgent came up, so... I’m sorry.”Jordan, however, was gracious. “I understand your situation is special. Just treat me to a meal to make up for it. I’ll be flying to Jeswood soon.”“Alrig
Madam Collins’ words seemed caring, but in reality, they were meant as a warning.Zachary gently pulled his arm back and said, "No wedding, just getting the marriage certificate."“No way!” Rebecca objected.Madam Collins spoke calmly, “Registering the marriage is also a happy occasion, but it’s not suitable right now. I see your relationship is so strong, waiting a little longer won’t make a difference. The Collins family’s bloodline will never end up being talked about as illegitimate. Don’t worry about that.”Zachary wanted to say more, but Jane tugged on his arm.“I’m feeling a little unwell.”Zachary’s expression immediately changed. Without arguing with the family any further, he carried her straight to the doctor.When they reached the obstetrics department, she patted Zachary’s shoulder and said, “Put me down.”“Aren’t you...” Zachary instantly understood. “You’re trying to get me out of there?”Jane wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled him with her nose.“Pre
"I’m fine. I’ve already recovered quite a bit," Zachary said as he bent one knee to the floor.Jane instinctively wanted to kneel with him, but Zachary stopped her. "You can’t," he said, giving her a meaningful look.Understanding his intent, Jane obediently stood to the side.Rebecca became agitated. "Do your knees mean nothing to you? You’ve knelt once for her, and now again!"Lowering his gaze, Zachary said calmly, "I’m kneeling in front of my parents. There’s no question of whether it’s worth it or not. She is my fiancee, soon to be my wife. If she has caused you any displeasure, it’s my responsibility to bear it. What’s more, she hasn’t done anything wrong."Rebecca wanted to lash out, but Eric intervened. "Do you want to make your condition even worse with this anger?"A flicker of emotion passed through Zachary’s eyes, but his tone remained neutral. "I don’t understand. I only want to marry the person I love and have children. Why must you go to such lengths to oppose it