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
"The paternity test results are out." I felt a bit helpless.He was confident. "There must be something wrong with the paternity test. Charlotte, maybe I might mistake someone else for her."This "someone else" was clearly a reference to me.He continued in a calm tone, "But I definitely wouldn't fail to recognize her."I pressed my lips together. "That's a matter between you and the Shaw family. Frank, let's keep some distance."I really didn't want to invite trouble.With that, I avoided looking at his expression and pulled Jane into the banquet hall.Though the welcome party was organized on short notice, it was far from perfunctory.The lights were dazzling and the setting opulent, clearly a high-society affair.After taking a drink from the waiter's tray, Jane looked at me, somewhat surprised. "You've never been so ruthless before?""Come on." I smiled helplessly. "Even the dullest person learns from their mistakes. Besides, the situation now is different from before."
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