I was stunned for a moment.In an instant, I figured out Ryan's current identity, but I could hardly believe it!Wasn't he bankrupt?It turned out he had merely used a ruse to escape his predicament...In fact, after this maneuver, his power was even more robust than before.As soon as I realized this, my first instinct was panic...I thought I had severed ties with him, but now he was the largest shareholder of my company?I still clung to a shred of hope that perhaps he was just visiting with Ian and had come along to inspect.Ian smiled and introduced, "Ms. Wilson, Miss Greenwood, this is the RF Group's new... new deputy CEO, Mr. Frost."The position introduced was a level below Ian's.But Ian had always been a step behind Ryan, and his body language couldn't lie.However, they were now major shareholders of the Charlotte Jewelry. I didn't want to cause a scene, so I forced a vague smile and said, "Is that so? I thought your owner was coming? Where is he?"Ian laughed aw
"Ryan, in your imagined outcome, I should be deeply grateful now, right?" I asked sarcastically."Not really."Ryan avoided my gaze and loosened his tie with one hand. "I just hope that you can live a more comfortable life.""Alright."I wasn't in a hurry to refute him. I said softly, "Then name your price. If you sell the 51% of shares you hold in the Charlotte Jewelry, I'd be much more at ease."From the beginning, perhaps neither of us had truly understood each other.He once saw me as wild grass in an unkempt field, never sparing me a second glance. Now, he viewed me as a rose in a greenhouse, only suitable for delicate nurturing.And as for me, I had lost all trust in him.Why would the two of us choose to be together?He suddenly looked at me, his thin lips pursed. "Charlotte..."I smiled. "Didn't you say you wanted me to live comfortably?""With the RF Group to back you up, you'd be more at ease."I looked down at the bustling traffic below the skyscrapers and, after
Ryan's body stiffened suddenly, the light in his eyes fading inch by inch.He knew better than anyone how we lost our child.What lay between us was not just Jessica or anyone else, but a living, breathing life.If I reconciled with him, what would the deceased child mean then?Knock knock—Outside the door, Ian knocked on the glass door.Ryan's voice was cold. "Come in."Ian entered with an urgent expression, "Mr. Frost, the Shaw family is starting to suspect. Bethany and her team has gone to the Frost Group, and they might come here next.""No rush."Ryan, always adept at strategizing in business, said with a dangerous tone, "Have Reece accelerate the project acquisition. We need to finish it within three days so that even if the Shaw family finds out, it will be too late."Clearly, the merging of the RF Group and the Frost Group had put him on an equal footing with the Shaw family, or even put him ahead."Understood.""Leave. Give me a minute."After giving instructions
He chuckled. "Does the holidays begin the day after tomorrow?""Yes."He then said abruptly, "Then we'll leave for Jeswood at seven o’clock in the morning the day after tomorrow."I looked at him. "Aren't you supposed to help me deal with Ryan first?"He cocked his brows and said with a sense of entitlement, "Now you're asking me to cooperate. Shouldn't you show me your sincerity first?"Every businessman had their tricks.Ryan was like that, and so was Frank.Realizing something, I preemptively gave him a warning. "I can put on an act and deal with your parents. However, I'm a divorcee, so they probably won't accept me..."Frank didn't take it to heart. "That's my problem."The elevator reached the designated floor, and I took a deep breath. "Alright, I agree."As soon as the words were out, the door opened.We went our separate ways, but as soon as I stepped out, I was a bit surprised to see Jack standing at the door.I couldn't believe the Renolds family would allow him
Perhaps because I felt a lot of gratitude and guilt toward him, I didn't think much of it, smiled, and said, "It's alright, it didn’t hurt much."He withdrew his hand and sighed silently, saying, "Hurry and head back home. I just came to check on you. Seeing that you're alright puts my mind at ease.""Okay."I sniffled from the cold, waved at him, and walked towards my door.Remembering his earlier mention of the house, I looked back at him and said, "By the way, Jack, I will move out as soon as possible..."When I moved in, I only thought of it as a friend's place.Now that I know more, and only wished to continue being friends, it was better to avoid troubling him."No need!" Jack interrupted me, seeming to struggle before he compromised. "Just stay here with peace of mind. Frank lives across the corridor... ordinary people wouldn't dare cause trouble here, so it's relatively safe for you.""Thank you...""Charlotte, we are still friends."Noticing my discomfort, he decided
I nodded and smiled. "Yes, and what about you? The New Year is approaching. When will you be going back?"Even if I didn't reach a cooperation agreement with Frank, I still had to go. The clothes for Madam Shaw and Madam Smith, needed to be delivered. Custom clothes were expensive not only because of the products themselves but the services that went along with them as well. Besides, the Charlotte Jewelry still required the Madam Shaw’s and Madam Smith’s help to pass the brand around. I had to make this trip in person."I'm going as well! Wait for me!"Megan left the door open, hurriedly ran back, grabbed a backpack, and stuffed things into it before coming out."Megan, are you doing parkour at home early in the morning? If you're that noisy, you can move out. It's not like we don't have a place!" Frank roared irritably in the living room.I had my fair share of morning grumpiness, but his was clearly more frightening.Megan shushed him. "Why are you being so mean? Charlott
The "demon" had a disturbingly light sleep. He didn't even remove his eye mask. Due to his familiarity with the car, he reached back with his long arm and opened his palm.I felt relieved and placed the earplugs into his hand.He quickly put on the earplugs and went back to sleep.Megan let out a long sigh of relief, moved closer, and stayed quiet for a while before whispering, "Charlotte, I was just trying to annoy my brother earlier. Actually, he's a really good person.""Huh?"I was surprised by her sudden confession.Megan rested her head on my shoulder. "My relationship with my dad isn't good because his mistress came to the door. I hate him for betraying my mom."I was taken aback."When I was a child, I had poor health and just stayed in the courtyard. I would rarely go out of the house."Megan continued, "After that incident, we moved out of the Smith family's residence, and I even blamed my brother for not leaving with me."I lowered my gaze. "He... must have been qu
While she chatted with Frank, I was on the side hanging up and carefully ironing the clothes I had made for her."Charlotte!"Madam Shaw pretended to be unhappy and pulled me onto the sofa. "These things are for the servants to do. You should just sit down, have some tea, and keep me company. Why do you have to do everything yourself?"I chuckled. "This is part of my job.""You silly." Madam Shaw held my hand and looked at Frank. "You just said you plan to have Charlotte help you fool your parents?"Frank and Madam Shaw had a deep relationship and spoke openly to each other. "Yes."Madam Shaw looked at me with concern. "He's not pressuring you, is he?""Grandma, what do you take me for?" said Frank, half laughing, half exasperated.I smiled and added. "No, I have something to ask of him too."Madam Shaw didn't press further but made a point of dissatisfaction."Lily... may not come back."Madam Shaw held back her tears and, with an elder's demeanor, addressed Frank, "Whether
Caleb was thinking that in the future, he could let her drink a little more.Of course, only when he was around.She looked kind of cute like this."I did say that, but didn't you just say you wanted to thank me?"Whitney felt that alcohol really wasn't a good thing.Even when hanging out with Jane and the others, she decided not to drink too much anymore.The rationality and logic that she was so proud of had completely vanished.She had never been as calm in front of Caleb as she was with others.Besides, there was a power imbalance between her and him.If she were sober, she wouldn't have been able to reject him anyway.Let alone now, when her mind was muddled.But maybe because she was muddled, she dared to say things that she didn’t usually dare to say."I just lost my balance earlier, and you helped me. Even if you don't accept verbal gratitude, that doesn't mean I owe you something this big."Caleb saw she could barely stand, so he held her by the waist to keep her
"But your reaction just now didn’t seem like you knew I was here."Jane tried to pull her leg back, but when she couldn't, she slapped him in frustration."It was called acting, understand? I didn't want you to look embarrassed, so I got those two out of the way first."Zachary rubbed her ankle with his thumb, as if he believed her. "Then should I be thanking you—for being so considerate?"Jane couldn't be bothered to argue. "Let go. I want to drink.""I'll drink with you."Meanwhile, Frank held Charlotte close and asked in a low voice, "Did she really know we were here?"Charlotte nodded. "What do you think? You really think Jane would mess around during her marriage? She might be bold, but she has boundaries. But you guys really are annoying."Frank hooked her chin with his thumb. "I knew it. You're being cold to me because you're sick of me. I've said it so many times, and you still wouldn't admit it."After saying that, he picked her up and walked out of the bar.He hadn'
Charlotte nudged him with her elbow, warning him not to stir things up.Jordan truly didn't dare to stay any longer. "Westley, take me home.""Okay." Westley finally got up. "You all take your time. If it gets too late, don't go back to the old house—just find a place to crash.""But..." Jordan suddenly felt like leaving wasn't such a good idea. "Maybe I'll stay and play a bit more."Westley simply dragged her out."Jane and Zachary...""You can't control what they do, so why bother worrying over nothing?"Jordan was settled into the passenger seat, her seatbelt fastened firmly.She didn't resist, mostly because she felt what Westley said made sense.Jane was way more capable than she was. This kind of minor drama would be easy for her to handle.Plus, with the smart and composed Charlotte around—It was better if she didn't add to the chaos.Once Westley got into the driver's seat, she asked, "Why did you guys show up? Especially you—didn't you say no seeing each other a w
But it was just a polite gesture—if they had been singing inside, they wouldn't have heard her anyway.So after knocking, she pushed the door open and went in.Charlotte and the others followed to take a look.When they saw the scene inside, they gasped.The four men from home were sitting around a cards table, all eyes on the door, each with a different expression.Zachary looked at Jane, who entered first, and said with a smile, "Honey, pick someone you like and give him a kiss."Jane took a step back and bumped into Charlotte's arms.That was when she noticed the big screen beside them—it was showing their own private room."You were watching us?"Zachary tapped the cards on the table with his long fingers, still smiling."If we weren't watching, how would we get to enjoy such an entertaining scene?"They had all been drinking.Whitney didn't hold her liquor well. She was already a little dazed. Although the room was fairly bright, everything seemed a little off to her.
Caleb didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Westley and played a card.Westley won.And it was a big pot as well.He cocked his brows. "Is this your wedding gift to me, Caleb?"Caleb asked, "Your wedding—Dr. Greyson won't be absent, will he? I heard you two are very close. You've been at death's door multiple times, and he's the one who saved you."Westley nodded. "Theoretically, yes. But I'm not sure if he might have some emergency.""Besides, it's not like you, Caleb, can't reach him. You helped him last time. It's impossible he'd ignore you now."Caleb could contact Carter, but if he did, it would mean helping Carter meet Mandy.He had no interest in meddling in romantic matters—too troublesome.But he couldn't get in touch with Tanner at all.Technically, there was no real need for him to attend Westley's wedding.Even if Whitney was invited by Jane, he himself wasn't obligated.He simply wanted to go, hoping to "accidentally" run into Carter.That way, it wouldn't loo
Frank pulled her into his arms and asked, "You really have to go out for drinks?"Charlotte nodded. "It's a girls-only night. No men allowed.""Oh?" The man repeated slowly and deliberately, "No… men… allowed?"Charlotte saw the look on his face and knew exactly what he was thinking."Only women. Even the drinks are for women.""Oh? Tell me, how do you tell if a drink is male or female?"Charlotte lightly patted his face twice. "The drinks women drink are for women. Got it?"Frank laughed. "Got it."Over on Jane's end, after finishing her call, she was about to go look for Jordan, but Zachary pulled her into the room and pinned her against the wall.His warm lips covered hers, then quickly pulled away.With his forehead against hers, the man asked, "Going out for drinks?"Jane hooked his chin with her finger. "What, Mr. Collins, trying to seduce your way into a drinking invitation?"Zachary chuckled lowly, kissed her again, and asked, "May I?""No."Jane rejected him comp
Jordan had grown up in the Howard family, but the person who had taken care of her since she was little had an old house.She arranged for Jane and the others to stay there, and she would also be getting married from that house.She didn't have many friends. Originally, Leanne was supposed to be her bridesmaid. Although she had a child, she had never been married.But Leanne wasn't sure if she could make it back in time, so she let Jane and Charlotte take over as substitutes for now. They would adjust accordingly later."Try on the dress. If there's a problem, I can still make adjustments."With the help of the two of them, Jordan put on the wedding dress.But Jane was most looking forward to the wedding dress.Both her and Charlotte's weddings were going to be Cherian style.Jordan, however, wanted a Western-style one.And Charlotte, who had designed clothes for many years, had never actually designed a wedding dress before.This was her first attempt, and she was very excit
"Okay, I won't bring it up anymore."Westley walked over with Jonathan and sat down.Miranda was very satisfied. "Finally, Jordy can have dinner with me again."Jordan smiled. "I'm also happy. I can still call you Mom.""Then let's drink to that.""Okay."Westley waited for the "mother and daughter" to finish speaking, then threw out a big announcement. "By the way, our wedding is on the 22nd of next month."Clang!The spoon in Miranda's hand fell."What did you say?""On the 22nd of next month, Jordy and I are getting married. We sincerely invite you and your husband to attend."Jordan was also shocked.She only knew that Charlotte's dress was being made, and they were picking the wedding date.But Westley hadn't told her about this in advance."Next month, it's almost the New Year.""Yes, it's a wedding before the New Year. Then we'll celebrate the New Year at home. I'm informing you in advance, my dear mom. You can prepare for the the New Year Eve dinner.""The New Y
Jonathan almost spit out the tea he was drinking."You have principles now?""Not the right time to talk nonsense."Westley. "Do you always talk in a way that pokes others' pain points?"Jonathan smiled for a moment. "If you've done it, don't be afraid of people talking about it."Westley didn't want to continue the conversation and stood up to leave.He went to the kitchen to find Jordan and found her eating ravioli."Didn't you say you'd help?" Westley sat next to her. "How come you're eating secretly? Give me a bite?"Jordan guarded the food. "It’s in the kitchen. There's still plenty in the pot.""But I want to eat from your bowl.""But I don't want to give you any."Westley laughed. "Okay."But while Jordan took a bite of the ravioli, he kissed her.Jordan's eyes widened as she felt the ravioli in her mouth being stolen away."You're disgusting."Westley smiled. "Sweet."Jordan couldn't eat anymore and pushed the remaining ravioli to him. "I'm not eating anymore."