Alana quickly changed the topic to avoid him guessing the truth. "Do you remember what day tomorrow is?""What day is it?""Your own birthday!" Alana, frustrated at his lack of awareness, said, "It's such a great occasion. You should naturally invite Charlotte and introduce her to your childhood friends.""Oh." Frank seemed indifferent. "I'd forgotten. I'll see.""What are you waiting for?" Alana waved her hand. "I've already booked the place and I'll notify the people. You'd better muster up the courage with the help of alcohol and make a move."After hanging up, the housekeeper finished cleaning and left.Frank, enduring the pain in his legs, got up and walked slowly to the bathroom to retrieve the bathrobe Charlotte had worn. After confirming it was dry, he folded it carefully and placed it on the bedside table next to the ugly rabbit-shaped piggy bank.The piggy bank from 20 years ago was handmade by her. The current piggy bank was also handmade by her, 20 years later.As h
"Okay, thanks, Alana," I replied.As soon as I sent that message, Alana sent over the location.Since she knew Danny would be coming, she had booked a well-known club in Jeswood instead of a bar. The environment was quiet, and children were allowed.Jane leaned over. "Is this from Frank?""No, it's from his cousin."I handed the phone to her. "It's Frank's birthday tomorrow. Want to come along?"Jane was still upset about the afternoon's events. "Are you sure you want to go?""It's probably a misunderstanding. His friend will likely be there too. We could go and clear things up in person."If it was a misunderstanding, it was best to resolve it with a face-to-face conversation.Jane, clearly frustrated, gave me a look. "For your sake, fine!""You're the best!"I winked at her and picked up Danny from the carpet. "Danny, tomorrow is Uncle's birthday. Let's go out and pick out a gift for him!"I remembered Frank's birthday and had already prepared a gift. However, if we're ce
"Paulina..." Alan swallowed hard, trying to suppress the surge of desire in his eyes. "You shouldn't act like this. As a young woman, you need to have self-respect!"Paulina looked at him, seeing through him completely. "Aren't you interested in me?"Years ago, Frank had selected six people: two women and four men. The other woman was stationed in Northern Eulast. Among the men, the woman they had the most contact with was Paulina. It didn't surprise her that Alan might have feelings for her.After taking a nap, Danny grabbed my phone and called Frank.Frank answered quickly. "Uncle, happy birthday! Are you at the your office or at home?""At home.""Then let's go to your birthday party tonight together!""Okay." Frank seemed to be in a good mood, agreeing readily. Then he remembered something and his tone turned colder. "What about your pretty sister?""Which pretty sister?""You know.""Aunt!" Danny proudly handed me the phone. "Uncle's looking for you."I took the phone
"Frank..." Paulina softened her tone, playing the role of a confidante at the right moment. "Perhaps Charlotte made such a choice because she thought you had died in the explosion. It's not entirely her fault. After all, even the police reported your death..."Bang—Hearing the loud crash of something being thrown, Frank's phone line was abruptly cut off, leaving only the sound of static.Paulina's lips curved into a satisfied smile as she immersed herself in her work.Having been by Frank's side for so many years, she had learned one thing, in any situation, there was only success, never failure. In the past, she was reluctant to see Frank disappointed. Now, she didn't want to disappoint herself.Frank's eyes were bloodshot and full of rage. He was so agitated that he no longer cared about his leg pain and kicked the bin across the room. But the more he vented, the fiercer the fire inside him burned!Almost to the point of madness!Since Charlotte's return, his anger ha
I was frozen in place.Danny wriggled free from his hold and, like a little beast, rushed back to me, clinging to my legs with tears streaming down his face. "It's not like that! Uncle, you're so mean!"Hearing this, Frank smiled slightly, fixing his gaze on me. "Am I wrong?"I realized that he must have misunderstood something. At that moment, he was probing me, waiting for me to give a contrary answer. This was probably his last chance for me to explain.I slowly averted my gaze, crouched down, and hugged the sobbing Danny, wiping away his tears. "Be good, Danny. Uncle said something wrong. Can you give Aunt a little time? Let me explain things to your uncle, okay?"The little one blinked his tear-filled long lashes and said in a soft, babyish voice, "Okay...""Jane." I dialed Jane's number.She answered, puzzled, "What's up?""Can you come up to the fifth floor first to take Danny to the place where the birthday party will be?""Sure." Jane noticed something off in my tone
Hearing this, Frank pulled me close again, still deliberately keeping a stern expression. "And what else, Charlotte? Say it all at once."I was slightly taken aback. "What else did you find out?""What should I have found out?"My gaze flickered, growing uncertain. I didn't know how extensive his network was. But since he could find out that Jack owned the house I was living in, he must have known other things as well...I hugged him and hesitantly said, "Frank, it wasn't that serious... And it's already been cured."This time, he was the one who was stunned."Cured?""Yes." I nodded. "Jack introduced me to a very skilled psychologist, a very kind woman who helped me a lot...""A psychologist?" He suddenly grabbed my shoulders, pulling us apart, his eyes filled with turbulence!I then realized something. "You... didn't know?""Psychologist..." Frank murmured, looking deeply into my eyes. "You... had depression? When did this happen?""A long time ago!" I was sure he didn't k
Before he could finish speaking, the office door was pushed open. Paulina walked in with a dark face, glaring at him through gritted teeth!Alan waited for a moment. Seeing that Frank still hadn't spoken, he said, "Frank, I'll hang up now. If you need anything, call me anytime. I'll send the relevant documents to your email right away."Smack—As soon as Alan hung up the phone, a powerful slap landed on his face!Alan gasped, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, and forced a smile. "As expected of a black belt. Even slaps are so forceful.""Alan, you're so shameless!"Paulina's eyes, hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, burned with anger as she glared at him. "How dare you tell Frank?""Because it was my people who found out," said Alan. "Because Frank gave me the life I have now. Paulina, whether it's you, me, or anyone else, none of us has the right to betray Frank."Alan had never had any principles in his work. Over the years, he had committed many
"Alana asked me to buy these." Frank, with his brown eyes fixed on me, said meaningfully, "She said that if I want to pursue you, I should always be ready to be living together and prepare these feminine hygiene products."I felt my ears flush with heat. "Who said anything about living with you? Besides, we're still just friends!""Alright, alright," He pulled me closer, brushing his lips against mine briefly, his lips glistening. "Friends who can kiss and hug, is that satisfactory?""Pervert!" Embarrassed and angry, I quickly pulled away and stood up.Frank grabbed my wrist and looked up at me. "Then what would you call our relationship?""I'm not going to say." I gave him a scolding look. "Since when does pursuing someone mean they have to be the one to make the first move?""What about my birthday present?"I felt that his mood seemed a bit off. Originally, I planned to find another chance to give him the gift, but I didn't want to wait any longer. "The gift... just wait a mo
It was the habit of someone accustomed to a high position."What’s wrong?" the man asked, his deep voice carrying a clear warmth."Look at you, acting so cheap. If you’re happy, just smile. Why pretend?"Frank, after all, was now happily settled.Seeing others in turmoil, he liked to tease them."No wonder you can’t win your wife back."Westley was rendered speechless.Jordan, not wanting to join the topic, quickly ran off.Frank joked, "See? Your wife just ran off again."Westley clenched his molars tightly.One by one, these happy people were taking turns mocking him."If you’re not going to help, at least don’t make things worse."Frank clicked his tongue and said, "Wow, the resentment is strong."Charlotte, holding Frank’s arm, tried to smooth things over. "That’s enough, Mr. Smith. Stop making fun of others."Westley was rendered speechless.‘Thanks. Appreciate that...’Charlotte added, "And stop mentioning Zachary’s pregnancy symptoms—it’s a sign of love."Frank
“These are all the photos of landscapes and animals you’ve taken over the years?”“Yes, I didn’t have anything else to gift, but I thought the baby could experience these through pictures while young and then go see them in person when older.”“You’re so thoughtful! I’ll thank you on behalf of this little embryo, Auntie.”Jane genuinely liked it. After flipping through the album, she instinctively tried to pass it to someone nearby but then remembered that Zachary had gotten out of the car when Jordan got in. He was now riding in the vehicle behind them.She placed the album into the front passenger seat’s storage compartment and then started chatting with Jordan about her recent experiences.Jordan said, “Not much, really. Things went pretty smoothly overall. I gave all the photos to the media. I hope it can raise awareness and help save more girls. That place was hell on earth for them.”Jane nodded. “You did an amazing job.”After her praise, she asked, “What do you want to e
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