I smiled and found a seat, picking up the teacup the servant had just brought, and took a sip.The tea was fresh and the fragrance filled the air. It tasted soft and sweet.I smiled. "Grandpa always thinks of us whenever there's something good.""No wonder the old man favors you. You have such a sweet mouth!" Aunt Chloe chuckled.I smiled faintly and didn't say anything else.After chatting for a while, Albert came to invite everyone to the dining table.The seats for the family banquet had been arranged in advance.Grandpa sat in the main seat, with Uncle Luke, Aunt Chloe, and their daughter sitting respectively to his right.On the left were Ryan who had taken over the Frost family, myself, my father-in-law, and Jessica.Everyone's status in the family was clear at one glance.There was nothing Jessica could do even if she wasn't happy with the arrangement.She could make things difficult for me in other places, but at the Frost family's residence, she wouldn't dare do any
"Okay."I sat down beside him and met Grandpa's sharp and clear gaze. It was making me feel increasingly uneasy.In the spacious study, there was only Grandpa, me, and Albert, who was making tea at the side.As expected, Grandpa knew everything. "Are you still going to get divorced?"I didn't know what to say. I felt completely hopeless.There was no use hiding my pregnancy anymore. "Yes... How did you know?"Grandpa sighed, but he wasn't angry about being deceived. "You're independent and stubborn. You might make it seem that you don't really care about him, but have you ever taken your eyes off him before? Today was different, you didn't even give him a glance."There was a hint of regret in Grandpa's voice.After hearing those words, I choked and was at a loss for words.Yes, one couldn't hide one's feelings for someone, even if one cover one's mouth, their feelings could be seen through their eyes.Even Grandpa could see my feelings clearly, but Ryan still thought I liked
"It's exactly what you see in front of you." Grandpa's voice carried a trace of sorrow and regret. "It's our fault. It's the Frost family's fault for Wendy's tragedy. It's my fault that I've not been able to properly discipline my own son."My late mother-in-law had a beautiful name, Wendy Lawson. After hearing Grandpa's words, I was completely dumbstruck. It turned out, my mother-in-law didn't die from hard labor. She was pushed down the stairs when she was in her final weeks of pregnancy.The person who pushed her was none other than Ryan's stepmother, who treated him as her own, and ironically ended up in a coma in an attempt to save him. My mind was in turmoil. How could she treat Ryan so well and yet be the one who killed his biological mother? It didn't make sense at all.Before I could sort everything out in my head, Grandpa continued, "I don't understand why she could be so good to Ryan.""It's all..." Grandpa sneered. "It's all about personal interests.""After Ryan's
Now that Grandpa had asked me for a favor, I had no reason to turn him down. Ryan and I were already separated, and a divorce certificate would only make our division clearer. There was no rush for us to get a divorce agreement.Moreover, Grandpa's 80th birthday was just a month away. There wasn’t much time left at all.Later, Albert escorted me out of the study."Mr. William did this because he's worried that you and Mr. Frost will regret your decisions in the future. He wants you both to think things through a little longer."I pursed my lips and was about to speak when my phone rang.It was an unknown landline."Hello, is this a relative of Jane?""Yes.""This is Jelaston Police Station. Please come over as soon as possible."Before I could ask anything, they hung up.With no time to spare, I hurried downstairs. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I saw Jessica fuming with anger."You've gone over the line!" she exclaimed, moving to slap me, but I stopped her.
In public, Ryan maintained his usual aloof demeanor.The black trench coat added to his domineering aura.As he approached step by step, I suddenly felt uneasy.This matter could be big or small.Small, it could be settled with money. But big...With Ryan's power in Jelaston, it would be as easy as flipping a hand to make Jane go to jail.And undoubtedly, he would protect Jessica.As expected, he stood beside Jessica. His eyes were slightly lowered, lips lightly parted. "How do you want to deal with this?"I clenched my fists and before Jessica could speak, Jane pulled me behind her."I'll take full responsibility. This has nothing to do with Charlotte.""Jane!"I was anxious, but Jane glanced at me, and said disdainfully, "How are you going to deal with this? Beg your ex-husband publicly for my sake or beg the mistress who’s wrecking your marriage?"Before she finished, the atmosphere in the room became even more tense.Jessica sneered. "Who are you calling a mistress? Ac
"If it weren't for my stubbornness back then, you wouldn't have had to endure this humiliation."Jane rolled her eyes after hearing those words. If I hadn't pulled her away, she would have stormed back to argue. It was raining and the wind was strong. This caused the temperature to drop significantly. It was so cold that it could make anyone hunch their shoulders.Once inside the car, Jane fumed, "Why did you pull me away? Didn't you hear what she said? Damn it, what a stupid fool. Where was she during human evolution?""I heard."I started the car and started driving. "Ryan is unpredictable. I just want to leave before he changes his mind."There was no need to be angry with Jessica."Aren't you angry?" she asked."Not really."It was more accurate to say I was used to it.At this hour, nightlife in Jelaston was just beginning. The streets were busy and congested with people.It was stop-and-go all the way.Suddenly, Jane smiled slyly and leaned over, blinking at me. "Did
'Moving house?' I repeated inwardly.My heart skipped a beat.At that moment, I found it a little hard to calm myself down.I took a deep breath. "Move here? I didn't agree to that.""Grandpa said you promised him that you'll postpone the divorce."He played the bummer and handed me his phone. "Do you want to talk to Grandpa?""You have no shame." I couldn't help but glare at him. "Agreeing to postpone the divorce doesn't I agree to you moving in with me."I couldn't believe that the CEO of the Frost Group would be so shameless.No one would believe in such a sight."It's normal for husband and wife to live together," he said matter-of-factly."Excuses, excuses," I said as I opened the door and walked into the house.He followed me in as if it was his house as well.I thought of what Grandpa told me that night and felt sorry for Ryan, so I decided not to drive him away.I reached out and pointed to a room opposite the master bedroom. "You can stay in that room.""Okay." H
"No, no." I tried to deny the fact that I was hungry. "I just came out for something.""You mean that?" He pointed to a takeout bag on the dining table.I rubbed my nose awkwardly after he had seen through my lie. "Didn't I tell the delivery guy not to ring the doorbell?""He didn't.""Then how did you know?""He knocked."I choked, feeling embarrassed at the delivery guy's cleverness.Walking over to open the bag, Ryan placed a bowl of steaming seafood soup in front of me. "Grandpa said you didn't eat much at the banquet tonight, so he had the leftover seafood sent over.""So this soup...""I made it." Ryan sat across from me, his handsome face serious yet calm. "I took a shower first. Since you're not feeling well, try to avoid takeout for a while."I paused, realizing his gesture was telling me something. He was telling me that he had made the soup after having a shower. This meant that he made sure the soup was clean in order to make me feel comfortable.Lowering my head
He placed some meat on her plate and asked, "Don't you like being close to me? Or do you still think our relationship isn't suitable for closeness right now?"Jordan couldn't really explain.Westley answered for her, "Do you think the development between us is different from others? So it's awkward?"Jordan thought for a moment, and it seemed like that was the case.Westley continued, "So you still want to go through a process before we get to the point where we can kiss in a romantic relationship?"Jordan fell silent.Westley said, "If you have something to say, just say it. There's nothing we should be embarrassed about between us."Jordan bit her cutlery, and after a few seconds, she said, "Before we remarry, we can maintain a working relationship. We can eat together, do some things together, but we can't have any intimate behavior. Can you accept that?"Westley obviously couldn't accept it.He didn't really understand why she wanted it that way.But he still went along w
"Otherwise, would you listen to something you don't want to hear?"Jordan didn't want to argue with him. "I'll say this one last time... Mm!"Her lips were sealed, and when Jordan tried to push him away, she kept punching his shoulder.She tilted her head to dodge, but he firmly held her by the back of her head.She opened her mouth to bite him, but he grabbed her face, deepening the kiss.In the quiet office, with only the two of them, the sound of water droplets, which made hearts race and faces flush, could be heard.Jordan, unable to take it anymore, kicked him.But his long legs held her down.She was completely at his mercy, unable to move at all."Um..."It wasn't until the sound of a knock on the door broke the intimate atmosphere."I'm here for the interview... Is this a bad time?"As soon as Westley released her, Jordan immediately pushed him away, wiping her lips forcefully.She stomped on him hard and tried to calm her emotions as she looked toward the door."
Jordan went to sit on the sofa and casually raised her hand toward him."Go on."Westley looked at her, noticing how she resembled a boss, a look that had some of his own influence in it.He smiled.Jordan shot him a glare. "Be serious.""Alright."Westley sat up straight, looking serious.He began to explain his previous plans to her.Except for parts of the plan that needed to be kept confidential, he didn't hide anything else."The reason I had you stab me was indeed to let you vent your anger, to make up for the harm I've caused you. It was just a coincidence that the higher-ups issued an order at the same time, so I decided to go along with it. Now, the plan has been completed. I can indeed come back to life, but right now, there's nothing I need to do. The Howard family has Leanne, and I've already resigned. I'm just a jobless wanderer now, and no one cares. Whether I'm alive or not doesn't really matter."Jordan felt that those last two sentences were clearly meant to
But when she reached the bedroom door, ready to go out and check, she thought again, how could he, such a grown man, possibly be putting himself through hardship?With so many people under him, he could just call anyone to bring him clothes.And he could book a comfortable presidential suite for himself.There was no need for her to be concerned about it.Besides, it was her who had locked him out in the first place.Going out now would only make it seem like she cared about him too much.Right.She shouldn't go out.Jordan returned to her bed.But no matter what, she couldn't fall asleep.In the living room, Westley was already lying on the sofa.The heating was turned up high, so he wasn't worried about the cold.He was holding his phone, making some kind of plan.In the end, Jordan didn't even know how she fell asleep.When she woke up groggily, the first thing she did was get up and check on Westley.But she found that he wasn't there anymore.She let out a sigh of
She now saw herself only as a sister figure to him. Even though they were a bit close, there was still a sense of distance and wariness.It was impossible for her to fully open up to him.But at that moment, suddenly talking about their relationship wasn't really appropriate.Besides, with how things had developed between her and Westley, if he intervened, it would just force them apart.In the end, it would be her who got hurt.‘Forget it.’Nathan decided to just watch how things would unfold.If Westley still didn't realize his mistakes and hurt Jordan again, then no matter what, he couldn't let them be together."Has Jasmine not come back?""Huh?" The topic changed too quickly, and Jordan was a little slow to react. "No.""Nathan, did you take anything from this room?"Nathan's gaze darkened slightly. "No."Noticing that he was in a bad mood, Jordan didn't ask about his situation with Jasmine."Jasmine probably has something she wants to do."Nathan could tell from her
"I've already picked out a few candidates, but I just haven't had the chance to arrange meetings for you yet. Maybe you've only ever been exposed to him since childhood. Try dating someone else, and you might realize he isn't the only one for you." Jordan shook her head. "Nathan, that's not it..." "I'm certain I like him—no matter how outstanding others are, I won't be interested." Nathan frowned. "You've never tried being with anyone else. How can you be so sure?" Of course, Jordan was sure. Ever since her youthful heart first fluttered, she had been certain, apart from Westley, she would never love anyone else. And that was precisely why his indifference had wounded her so deeply. She had filed for divorce and despised his later attempts at remorse. Because she had never wavered in her feelings—yet he only began to love her after she decided to let go. If he had realized it even a little sooner, they wouldn't have suffered through such a painful, drawn-out
"I’m not doing anything," Westley answered her question, squeezing her hand slightly. "Just need your help with something."Jordan was already in her 20s.How could she not understand the things between men and women?His voice was dangerously hoarse now, and what kind of help could he possibly need from her?"You do it yourself, I can't help.""Well, I’ll do all the hard work."He was the one doing all the hard work indeed.But he was holding her hand, making her hand... move with his!Jordan tried to pull her hand back. "Westley, you’re making me mad."Westley leaned on her shoulder and laughed lowly. "Alright, after you help me, feel free to get angry. Hit me however you want. But right now, Jordy, I can't stop."The temperature in the kitchen gradually rose.With the heating, it made the air dry and uncomfortable.She had just taken a shower to cool down, but now, a thin layer of sweat had formed.She felt hot.Jordan had nowhere to hide and couldn't break free.In t
The arm around her waist suddenly tightened.The breath sprayed near her ear, hot and unsettling.The man's hoarse voice came. "Don't want to sleep? Then how about we do something else?"Jordan gripped the blanket tightly, weakly lying, "I want to go to the bathroom. I haven't washed up yet either."Westley released her.Jordan quickly escaped. She didn't know what she might do if she stayed another second.Westley lowered his head, glancing at her, then sighed deeply.This was a pyrrhic victory.Jordan stayed in the bathroom for a long time.She even took a shower.But after finishing, she suddenly remembered that her bath towel had been taken by Westley.Standing in the bathroom, she felt like she had no way out.And in her haste to come in, she hadn't grabbed a change of clothes.She had impulsively picked up the clothes that Westley had swapped out of and her clothes and tossed them into the laundry basket.Her clothes were now all wet.She could only silently fume.
‘I’ve already taken my pants off and you’re just going to leave it at that?’She thought this must have been intentional on Westley's part.She raised her leg and kicked him, then turned around, pulling the blanket away, her back clearly showing a trace of resentment.Westley didn't mind, pulling both her and the blanket into his arms.He chuckled softly in her ear."Your reaction right now makes me think you're dissatisfied."The deliberate pause was even more teasing.Jordan immediately elbowed him.But because she was tangled in the blanket, she couldn't put much strength into it.The muffled laugh of the man in her ear clearly mocked her, making her even angrier.Her emotions flared up too quickly, and tears started falling.Westley felt the wetness on his arm, it was hot.He quickly sat up.He knew about her tendency to lose control of her tears, but seeing her cry still made his heart ache.He gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eye with his thumb and whis