"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
My heart felt like it had been tugged.As Frank said, it was something he was subconsciously, and I didn't know where it came from.Seeing his sadness, I was inexplicably moved. I lifted onto my toes and reached out to pat his head, but halfway there, I came to my senses and stopped in mid-air. Looking into his brown eyes, I gently reassured, "Frank, she wouldn't blame you."His eyes briefly lit up but then returned to their calm state as he continued, "You're not her, so how would you know what she thinks?""But I have had similar experiences."I lowered my gaze, bitterness in my voice. "I used to live a good life, and then suddenly lost my parents. I had to rely on myself, struggling and working hard to survive."I looked at him again and smiled gently. "If I were her, I wouldn't blame you. She... probably wouldn't either."People who have had a hard life understand empathy better.His waiting all these years was enough.He seemed touched, his usually sharp demeanor softenin
Jane didn’t care about Westley. Even if he was feeling it now, it was too late for regrets.If he hadn’t acted the way he did, Jordan wouldn’t have suffered so much.Moreover, he had once ignored her cries for help, so now he shouldn’t blame Jordan for his injuries.“How’s my sister?” she asked.Roy replied, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Collins, Ms. Hickey is doing fine. Except for the lack of freedom, there are no other restrictions.”“When can I have a video call with her?”Roy thought for a moment. “Since Mr. Howard is now delirious, I can make the arrangements.”“Thank you,” said Jane.“It’s no trouble, it’s my job.”After hanging up the phone, Jane looked at Zachary and asked, “What do you think?”Zachary moved the phone a little farther away to avoid radiation.After finishing the massage, he helped her lie down and said, “I’m thinking what you’re thinking.”Jane gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re slick.”Zachary smirked and bent down to kiss her forehead.“Get some rest.”
"Mrs. Howard—"Buck watched helplessly as Jordan jumped into the sea.Before he could rush over, a figure was even faster than him."Sir!"Westley dived into the water, found Jordan, and dragged her to the shore.When Jordan was pulled onto the shore, she was still a bit dazed.Wasn't she just swimming? Why was there so much fuss?Buck gestured for people to bring a stretcher, lifted Westley onto it, and hurried back.Buck also called for the maids to help Jordan back.Jordan wiped her face, pushed the maid aside, and twisted the water out of her hair. "What happened?"Buck was anxious to check on Westley, but he couldn’t stop watching Jordan, worried she might jump into the sea again and trying to think of other ways to prevent it."Mr. Howard was saving you.""Why?" Jordan was confused. "I didn’t drown. What’s the need to save me?"Buck recalled what he had seen earlier. It seemed like... swimming?"Weren’t you... jumping into the sea?""Yes." Jordan didn’t notice Buck
"Nathan, you should head back and deal with your own matters. Let's not interfere with Jordan's matters anymore."Nathan didn’t expect Jane to say this. He paused for a moment before speaking. "You know better than I do what Westley has done. How can we just ignore it? Jordan is still young and hasn’t experienced much in terms of relationships. She lacks experience, what if she falls again..."Jane knew what he was talking about and comforted him. "Don’t worry. Jordan may have experienced little in terms of relationships, but she’s not a foolish girl. She knows how to handle things."Nathan asked, "Is it because there’s something Westley knows?""No, it’s because we can't let Westley continue making a scene. This matter still needs to be handled by the person involved."Nathan didn’t say anything more and told Jane not to worry. When it was close to her delivery, he would come back.Jane agreed and hung up the phone.She threw the phone onto the counter and hugged Zachary from b
Charlotte raised her hand and gently patted Jane’s shoulder."I understand, after all, she's your sister. But I think Jordan is very smart and capable, she can take care of herself. You can worry, but at the same time, take care of your own health. Then, when she comes back, you can love her properly."Jordan walked around the island.There was a helipad on the mountain with two helicopters.Out at sea, there was a large cruise ship docked.But she didn’t know how to pilot any of them, so there was no way to escape.In the end, she decided to just accept things as they were.If there was a problem, she would deal with it. If not, she’d wait."Mrs. Howard, Jasmine is looking for you."When Jordan returned to the villa, Buck handed her a phone.Hearing Jasmine’s name, she took it."Jasmine.""I'm relieved you're okay," said Jasmine, letting out a sigh of relief, then apologizing. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have drunk so much.""It’s not your fault."Since Westley had a plan to
She got up just around noon.After thinking for a moment, she decided to go see Westley.Westley wasn't in the bedroom, so she went downstairs to ask the staff.The servant pointed toward the kitchen, and she walked over, finding Westley cutting vegetables.A strip of bandages was wrapped around his exposed wrist.His pale lips and exhausted eyes suggested he was still in poor condition.Yet, he was cooking?Jordan pressed her lips together, her sleep had been poor, and her face didn’t look good either.She stood in place for a few seconds, then turned and walked away.If he didn’t take care of his own body, what business was it of hers?Westley glanced over but didn’t call her, continuing his task.Buck watched the whole scene, worried about Westley’s health, he was still running a fever.“Sir, you should rest. Let me arrange for someone to cook, and I’ll bring it up to you later. And Mrs. Howard... probably won’t care about you... You should take care of your health. Othe
Charlotte nodded. “So does unhygienic mean better taste?”Jane directly spoke to her belly, "Son, you have to treat your mother-in-law well in the future. Mommy won't be able to back you up. Mommy’s useless..."Charlotte raised her hand and poked her forehead. "Alright, stop the act.""You're even bringing the child up. We still don’t know if it's a boy."Jane said, "I want to arrange a marriage alliance with you. My child can sense his mother’s feelings and will surely fulfill his mother's wishes.""That's nonsense." Charlotte went out to buy what she wanted to eat.As soon as she sat in the car, she received a call from Frank."Is Mr. Smith slacking off again?"Frank chuckled. "I’m calling my wife. Is that not allowed anymore?"Charlotte had driven herself. She turned on the air conditioning and was thinking about going shopping. "I’ve got to go now. I'll be home tonight."Frank heard the sound of the engine and asked, "Did you go out?"Charlotte snorted, "You should know
The fireworks were dazzling and brilliant.Westley looked up in a certain direction.At the moment the fireworks bloomed, a figure appeared in the window of that place.Jordan couldn’t sleep because of Westley’s injury.As she tossed and turned in bed, a sudden bright light appeared in front of the window.She walked over to the window, opened it, and saw the fireworks bursting in the night sky.There seemed to be a few figures on the beach.But Westley was tall enough that she could spot him at a glance.At that moment, she forgot to watch the fireworks.It was only when Westley raised his hand and pointed upward that she looked up.She realized that the fireworks formed a few words.“I’m sorry, Jordan.”“Happy birthday.”Jordan had originally planned to spend her birthday with Nathan and Jane.But when she was brought over by Westley, she completely forgot about her birthday.She glanced at the time, and it was exactly midnight.Her birthday had begun.The night sky
Jordan had eaten and drunk enough and was about to return to her room.Westley called out to her."Wait a moment."Jordan ignored him and kept on walking.But Westley grabbed her arms and she was pulled back.She lost her balance and fell into the man's arms.As she fell, she instinctively reached out to support herself.She felt something change under her hand.Jordan jumped up as if she had been burned.She forgot there was a grill nearby, and as she was about to fall into it, she was pulled away by a force.She only heard a series of cracking sounds, and she landed on something soft but firm.When she looked closely, it was Westley's chest. She was in his arms, and his tall frame was completely shielding her.Before she could react, Buck and the others arrived.The area was crowded."Quick, put out the fire!""Call a doctor. Don’t move Mr. Howard. Help Mrs. Howard up."Jordan was stunned as she was pulled up.It was then that she saw the scene on the ground.The gr
Frank took the soup from her hands and drank it in a few gulps.Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately.It had been several days since they had been close like this.The heat built up quickly.By the time Charlotte reacted, she was already lying on the bed.She covered his mouth and gently pushed him away a little."Let's finish talking about the important things.""This is the important thing," Frank said as he moved her hand away and pressed it on top of her head. He bent down and started unbuttoning her blouse."Frank..."Charlotte's voice was broken by his actions.After several days of separation, his movements were obviously more intense.She couldn't hold back, and the corners of her eyes filled with tears, as the wave of emotions overwhelmed her...Zachary set the food on the dining table and went to the bedroom to carry Jane out.But Jane wanted to walk by herself, and Zachary helped her sit down.Jane picked up her cutlery and started eatin