My eyes warmed up, and I laughed and cried at the same time, sending her the location. "So, you're not going to Sentrea for a romantic encounter?""Is the romantic encounter more important or you? I'm not going to let you spend the New Year alone."She didn't seem to care and cheerfully changed the subject. "Besides, I heard Jeswood is also quite good for a romantic encounter.""Such great kindness, I can't repay."I couldn't help but chuckle. "I can only offer you a full package of food, drink, and fun as a token of my gratitude."Actually, Jane and I were so close that we might as well be sharing money.Neither of us cared about these things.But when she heard this, she cooperated enthusiastically. "Ms. Wilson, you're so generous! I'll come right away to cling to you."As soon as Jane arrived, my mood improved significantly.She stood by the window, admiring the snowy scenery of Jeswood. "What do you think about the news about Frank?"I was momentarily taken aback. "What d
Even though the corridor floor was covered with soft carpet, the pain from my butt hitting the ground made my muddled brain regain a bit of clarity.The person who brought me upstairs was Ryan.I actually mistook him for someone else.Perhaps sensing my resistance, Ryan was momentarily stunned, then, against the light, he sneered. "Are you determined to be with him? Are you planning to be a bridesmaid when he marries the eldest daughter of the Shaw family?"Frank's remarks were always sharp. "Are you trying to impose your own experiences on me?"He took a few large strides to where I was and helped me up from the floor, then looked at Ryan with a faint smile. "Mr. Frost, take care, no need to see us off."Ryan clenched his fists, suppressing his anger. "You'd better focus on Lily. Charlotte will only ever be mine.""She has never belonged to anyone." Frank's voice was calm. "She is herself."Ryan's gaze grew colder as he extended his hand to me, adopting what he probably though
A sudden pang of bitterness surged through me.It felt like I had been unexpectedly pricked by something.I pointed towards the door, my voice was cold. "Get out!""Charlotte, who spoiled you with this terrible attitude? Can't you speak properly?""Did you speak properly?"I glared at him, indignant. "Why are you criticizing me? What about your fiancee? Don't you need to be with her? Why do you have time to come find me?""You’re still so defensive even after you’re drunk."He pressed his tongue against his cheek, and after a brief laugh, he seemed resigned. He half-squatted in front of me, his tone softening."Fine, it was my fault for not speaking to you properly in my moment of desperation. I accept the punishment.""What punishment?" I asked instinctivelyHe cocked his brows and said, "Another kiss from you?"Only then did I realize his ears were flushed red.I shook my head, trying to clear the alcohol-induced haze, and looked at him as clearly as I could. "Why are you
He handed me the box and said indifferently. "Take a look."It was some cream to help with the bruise.When I saw the large words on the box, I wanted to find a hole to hide in. I hurriedly stood up. "Just give me the medicine. I'll apply it myself after I take a shower."If it weren't for him, I would have forgotten I had just fallen."Alright."He smiled with a hint of mischief, his lips curved. "I've already had the waiter bring Jane up. If you can't reach the area yourself, you can ask her for help."From the start, he had considered that the place I fell was quite private.Maybe I had overthought his intentions.The more I thought about it, the angrier and more embarrassed I became. I shoved him out of the room and slammed the door shut.He held the door open with one hand and suddenly, as he did last night, pinched my face. His voice was charming. "Charlotte, Happy New Year."As he spoke, the sounds of fireworks outside echoed, adding to the festive atmosphere. The bril
I tried to comfort her. "Maybe she's a bit introverted? Since there's still plenty of time, spending more time together should help.""I still feel something is off." Madam Shaw seemed a bit regretful. "She used to be quite a little tyrant when she was young. No matter how much she has changed, she shouldn't be this timid..."As I was about to respond, Madam Shaw sighed. "Well, let's not dwell on that. It's still a joyous occasion. You're still in Jeswood, right?"I answered honestly, "Yes, I am.""That's great! I'll arrange for a driver to pick you up." Madam Shaw said with a smile, "We're planning a welcome banquet for Lily tonight. You must come and join us. The clothes that you’ve designed for Madam Smith and me have been quite the talk among us. Many people have been asking where they were ordered from. This is a perfect opportunity for you to introduce yourself. I'm sure you won't have to worry about business for the entire year!""Alright, thank you!"I hesitated a bit but
But had I got to feel guilty about?I didn’t do anything wrong from start to finish.Thinking of this, I lifted my gaze toward their direction. After Lily threw herself at him, he hesitated slightly, seeming a bit uncomfortable, and also worried about upsetting Lily.He grasped her arm, creating some distance between them. His tone remained as indifferent as ever, without any emotion. "Slow down.""But I’ve missed you."Lily looked up at him, blinking her eyes, her pale cheeks cautious and timid, like a little white rabbit. "You left so early yesterday. I haven't seen you for almost 20 hours."So precise down to the hour.I composed myself, curving the corners of my lips. I noticed Frank's gaze fall on me again. Seeing me composed and emotionless seemed to anger him a bit.He released Lily's hand, flashed a roguish smile, and walked over to greet the two elderly ladies before lazily sitting down on the sofa opposite me.Madam Smith gave him a reproachful look. "You brat, you s
The Lily in front of me right now was even more of a threat than Jessica.I didn’t want to get myself involved."Why don't you go do a paternity test too?""Charlotte, answer me.""Want to run away again?"The atmosphere in the hall remained superficially relaxed, while my phone kept buzzing with messages.I frowned and set Frank's chat to "Do Not Disturb."Even with Lily standing right here, he still thought I might be Lily."Ms. Wilson, you’ve just divorced and your phone is already buzzing with messages."Mrs. Shaw noticed the commotion on my side and spoke acidly, "You're quick to find a new partner."Frank clicked his tongue, clearly about to lose his temper.I didn't want to get entangled with him at this juncture. I took the initiative to speak. "Generally, it's not as fast as Bethany. I just got divorced, and she's already engaged to and broken up with my ex-husband!""You!" Mrs. Shaw glared at me viciously.She was doing it deliberately.Deliberately trying to em
"Ahem..."Jane saw that I could handle it and didn’t want to cause me any trouble, so she had remained silent.At that moment, Frank's words made her choke.Mrs. Shaw could be sharp-tongued and nasty towards me. But towards Frank, she was mute, embarrassed, and red-faced, clearly concerned about Madam Smith's presence and not daring to act too harshly."You brat!" Even though Madam Smith usually indulged Frank, she had to maintain decorum and glared at him. "Who taught you to speak like that?""You did, Grandma." Frank seemed indifferent. "I was just bringing justice where it’s needed."Madam Smith was so angry she glared at him but had no words to retort.Everyone present could hear that Mrs. Shaw was clearly looking for trouble, and her words were excessively sharp.As the topic seemed to be shifting, the usually quiet and timid Lily said in an innocent voice, "But Frank, my mother isn't wrong either. Girls should cherish themselves and be loyal..."Jane immediately got an
Jordan and Whitney chatted casually.Most of the time, it was Jordan doing the talking while Whitney listened.After covering enough about the wedding, they talked about Jordan's work over the past few years.She also mentioned the tangled feelings and past with Westley.When she got to that part, she grew a little curious. "Whitney, before you married Caleb, did you ever like anyone?"Whitney shook her head."What about a secret crush?""Not even that."Whitney rarely talked to others about her past.Zachary only knew because he had looked into her and thought she was perfectly suited to be a pawn.And she had needed to become that pawn—to completely sever ties with her past, achieve her goals, and fulfill her ambitions."I was too busy studying and working to think about anything else."Jordan sensed she didn't want to go further, so she didn't press.Just then, Jane called, saying she and Charlotte would arrive soon and join them for lunch.She relayed the message to W
"We had a meal together before, and I noticed you always seemed to like sweet dishes, so I tried buying some. I was worried it might not suit your taste.""It does, it does." Jordan took a bite of the pudding. "It's delicious. But did you buy anything you like to eat?"Whitney said, "I already had breakfast. I can't eat anymore."Jordan offered a suggestion, "Why not try a bite of this sponge cake? It's a specialty here in Nelana."Whitney really couldn't eat any more. She had a small appetite, a condition built up over the years.If she ate a full meal, she couldn't eat snacks afterward. And if she ate snacks, she would lose her appetite for meals.She had a small stomach.But seeing Jordan looking at her so expectantly, she still picked up a piece of sponge cake and took a bite."It's very good."Jordan smiled and took a big bite of the sponge cake herself."Whitney, you're so good at picking food! This is great!"The old house was a bit remote, but it had a rooftop terrac
Jordan said Whitney would be coming over later.Westley hadn't expected that the first one to get out of bed would actually be Whitney."Just the two of you?" he asked."For now, yes."Jordan glanced at her phone. In the group chat, it was just her and Whitney talking—no response yet from Jane or Charlotte.She more or less knew why Jane hadn't responded, but Charlotte too?Still, it didn't really matter. There weren't any specific plans for today anyway.She hadn't known Whitney was coming, so it was a nice surprise."Maybe my sister will text me around noon. We can decide what to do then.""You." She pointed at Westley. "You are not allowed to show up in front of me again after breakfast."Westley nodded. "Got it."After buying food, Whitney told Caleb, "I'm going to find Jordan. You can go handle your stuff. I'll be staying at her place until the wedding."Caleb leaned against the elevator wall, his voice low and lazy. "You're telling me what to do?"Whitney wasn't in a
She replied with an emoji, then looked for her girls in the group chat to ask them out for food.Their group chat had a new member now—Whitney.And it was Whitney who replied to her."I'm already eating at the hotel. Do you want to come over, or should I bring something to you later?"Whitney had actually had a good night's sleep.Though it was a bit later than her usual habit, she still managed to get up for breakfast.Before, it was always Caleb who brought breakfast to the bedside and fed her, because she simply couldn't get out of bed.Jordan figured she was probably having breakfast with Caleb and decided not to bother her."No need, I'll just eat something nearby. Your hotel isn't close to me."Whitney replied. "I'm heading over later anyway, but I'll probably be a bit late. If you're hungry, go ahead and eat something first. I'll bring you something else."Jordan. "Thanks."Whitney. "No problem."Caleb noticed her holding her phone, her expression much softer, even t
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