When I opened the door, there was a stranger standing outside.The man was dressed in a well-tailored suit vest, with a tall and upright posture, and a dark overcoat draped over his arm. He appeared to be in his thirties, with a dignified and inscrutable demeanor.He was like an elder.I didn't recognize this person and was momentarily confused. "Hello, who are you looking for?""Hello." He nodded slightly. "I'm looking for Daniel.""Daniel?"My brain briefly froze, then I realized and asked with a smile, "Is it Danny?""Yes.""And you are...?""I'm his father, Alex Jackson.""I see."His formal way of speaking made me quickly recall the few words Danny had used to introduce his father—an old-fashioned gentleman.Alex didn't rudely look inside the house but instead looked directly at me. "Today is the Jackson family's family dinner. I've come to pick him up."As far as I knew, the Jackson family was the most low-key but also the most intricate among the three great familie
Danny jumped up excitedly, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and said, "Aunt is the best!"Then he dashed towards the elevator and into his father's embrace.Alex carried the little one over and handed me back my phone, nodding politely. "I've already explained everything to Alana. I'll take Daniel with me now.""Aunt! I’ve got to go!" Danny blew me a kiss and said cutely, "But don't worry. I will be back before dark."‘You’re coming back?’I looked at him in surprise. Alex also furrowed his brows slightly, though he didn't say anything.I patted Danny's head. "Listen to your parents.""Okay!"The little one nodded vigorously."Ms. Wilson, we're leaving now. Sorry for the trouble," said Alex."It's... it's fine!"For some reason, Alex gave me a strong impression of an elder. Not just because of his demeanor, but there was an indescribable feeling about him.Alex carried the little one into the elevator, his tone calm. "You're not staying at home tonight, and you still want
Danny, listening from the side, pressed his pink lips together slightly to suppress his excitement.‘Daddy is going to find Mommy!’ he exclaimed inwardly.As long as Daddy works hard enough, no one else could be his stepfather.At the variety show recording site.The production team had rented fields from local villagers in advance, which included plots for vegetables and corn.After lunch, the program director handed out the task card—harvesting corn.The time was tight, and the task was heavy.It required the guests to work together.Christine looked bewildered and turned to Scarlet, whispering, "Scarlet, can I not go?"The corn fields were not close to the living quarters.She was afraid someone might take the opportunity to enter her room.Scarlet was a veteran in the entertainment industry, skilled in navigating social relationships. With just a few words, she could have Christine stay behind without anyone questioning it.Unexpectedly, Scarlet simply patted her should
After she got out of the car, I drove to SZ Technology.It was very close. I arrived in just a few minutes.After exiting the elevator, I walked to the front desk. "Hello, I'm here to see Mr. Smith.""Do you have an appointment?""No."I smiled, not wanting to put her in a difficult position, and said, "Please wait a moment, I'll call him."As I turned to take out my phone to call Frank, a woman's voice spoke up, "What's going on?"At the front desk, "Paulina, she says she's here to see Mr. Smith but doesn't have an appointment.""Here to see Mr. Smith?"The woman's voice held a hint of confusion. When I turned to look at her, I caught a fleeting emotion in her eyes that was too quick to discern. "Who are you? I know everyone Mr. Smith is close with, but I've never seen you before."Her words were a bit off-putting.So, I cooled my tone and replied coldly, "I'm Charlotte. Do you need to personally meet everyone Mr. Smith is close with to verify their identity?""No, you've
I nodded. "Yes.""I see."Frank's voice paused slightly, then he said with a hint of amusement, "Should I come pick you up?"I was still a bit annoyed, but hearing this, my irritation faded away. "No need. I drove here myself. But I need to check with Jane first. I might have to visit the store before coming to find you."Just as I finished speaking, Jane's call came in. I quickly told Frank, "I'll talk to you later. I need to take Jane's call."After answering the call, Jane's cheerful voice came through. "Charlotte, are you on your way?"I smiled. "I'm setting off."She teased with a grin, "Why don't you stay a bit longer with your man and enjoy some time together?"I laughed. "What's the matter?"Jane sighed. "The renovation company that just arrived isn't very good. I've scheduled another one. You'll just be bored waiting around.""Okay. Then... sorry for the trouble.""Trouble? My salary and shares are enough to make others envious." Jane finished with a laugh, but then
Zachary's awkwardness lasted only for a moment. Soon, he regained his composure, showing no emotion. "Yeah, I came with Charlie to take a look."Jane, dressed in a red dress that made her porcelain skin stand out, lazily glanced outside. "Where's Charlie?"Since that night when she celebrated Frank's birthday, Charlie had taken to sending her WhatsApp messages frequently. “Do you like this handbag? ““Is this necklace pretty?”“Want to go out for a drink?”It was obvious what he meant, and Jane, who wasn’t a naive girl, understood his intentions immediately."Jane." Zachary, who usually kept to himself, pointed out, "Charlie is interested in you, but he's not right for you."Upon hearing this, Jane cocked her brows in surprise. The phrase "he's not right for you" was different from "you're not right for him." While it sounded similar at first, it had a different essence, and it didn't carry the condescension typical of wealthy people.She couldn't help but laugh. "Isn't it a
I was so angry that I raised my hand to hit him. "Are you trying to embarrass me?"Frank laughed for a while, afraid that I might really get upset. He quickly wrapped his arms around my waist and said, "Okay, okay, don't get mad. They'll get to know you sooner or later.""Besides, it will make your access to the Smith Group much smoother in the future."Hearing this, I felt like a cat being petted the wrong way. "Couldn't you have chosen a different approach?""This is the most efficient way," he said confidently.I had no response. Suddenly, I realized that I seemed to have been led into a trap by him. "You know no shame! We're just dating, okay? Who's your wife!""Don't you want to marry me?" Frank's lips curved into a slight smile. "Should I marry someone else?""You won’t dare!"As I spoke, I looked up and met his bright eyes. He lowered his eyelids and glanced at the right hand I had been hiding behind my back. "What are you hiding?""Dog food."He snorted and, catching
Frank was emitting a cold aura.It was rare for him to be in such a state.Charlotte was still downstairs at the Smith Group headquarters, and when she called him and mentioned what Paulina had said, he was a bit surprised.Paulina claimed she didn't know Charlotte?When confirming Charlotte's identity initially, a part of the investigation had been assigned to them.In other words, they knew as much about Charlotte as Frank himself did.Connecting the dots, Frank thought back to the misunderstanding with Charlotte caused by the delay in Alan's information last time.Was it a genuine delay, or was it intentional?That matter was entrusted to Paulina to investigate.The person behind it couldn't possibly be Alan.But whether it was Alan or Paulina, both had been with him for nearly 20 years...They must have become too complacent, daring to challenge him now!He had given them too much power, and now they dared to bully his woman!Hearing this, Alan was even more convinced
Jordan planned to return to Nelana right after breakfast.Yasmin tried to persuade her to stay a few more days.But she was eager to return and finalize her divorce.Charlotte decided to accompany her since she hadn’t had the chance to visit Dominic and look at the finished products after Jane’s recent accident.Frank wanted to tag along, but Charlotte stopped him. “You stay here and handle things.”Frank sneered. “You’re just tired of me and keep coming up with reasons to stay apart.”Charlotte had been hearing this from him a lot lately and was immune to it by now.She patted his shoulder, linked arms with Jordan, and walked away.Frank was rendered speechless‘Fine.’Westley had never drunk so much alcohol before.Although he wasn’t completely wasted, there were still some things he remembered clearly.However, his headache was intense.Buck brought him some water, asked about his schedule, and reported on the events of the night before.Westley paused while drinking t
She could say nothing more.Moreover, even if she said something, it would be useless.Zachary achieved his goal and turned to leave.After the door to the ward closed, Rebecca picked up a piece of yellowing apple to eat.The old lady of the Collins family sighed, “We didn’t raise him in vain.”Rebecca wiped away tears, she still couldn’t bring herself to like Jane.But Zachary was her only son. At this point, there was nothing she could do to stop him.She could only look the other way and let it go.She said to Eric, “Jeswood is too cold. Take me to Clisfield. This is what you’ve promised me.”Spring had already arrived in Jeswood, it wasn’t cold at all.But Eric still immediately arranged for tickets to be booked.There were still several months before Zachary and Jane’s wedding.In the meantime, she could relax and gradually come to terms with things as time passed.Eric looked at the elderly couple. “Mom, Dad, come with us. The weather there is warm year-round.”Zach
If this were Jane, just a single cough would send him into a panic.Rebecca felt that Zachary now cared more about Jane than her.“Even if Jasper isn’t her biological father, how can you be so sure her real parents are good people? What if...”Zachary finished slicing the apple into small pieces, placed them on a plate, and handed it to his mother.His tone was unhurried. “I can accept anything. As I said before—I will marry no one but her.”Rebecca didn’t take the plate, so Zachary set it aside.The apple, left untouched, began to oxidize and turn brown.Zachary lightly tapped the apple with the fruit knife and said, “There are more than one path in front of me.”Rebecca opened her mouth to speak, but Zachary interrupted her.He pulled out a photo and handed it to her.“The Collins family doesn’t only have me for the official route. There is a sister who can take my place.”Rebecca was stunned. “What sister?”Zachary produced a document. “A recently acknowledged goddaughte
“I forgive you, I forgive you.” Jane ruffled his hair. “Such juicy gossip is worth forgiving. But I’m warning you, don’t try to trick me again next time.”Zachary raised his hand. “I promise.”Jane was satisfied. She ate her fill, felt sleepy, and went to bed.Zachary tucked her in carefully and planted a kiss on her forehead.“I’m heading to the hospital.”“Okay.”At midnight, Raymond released the results of the paternity test.Originally, not many people were paying attention to Jasper’s situation anymore.After all, so much happens every day, and with Zachary’s maneuvering, the buzz had already died down.But as soon as the paternity test result was revealed, it caused an uproar.“I knew it. With the way he was behaving, how could the child be his? And yet, he dared to make such a fuss.”“All those people defending Jasper should apologize!”“Unbelievable. This scum is still alive and even dared to go online to play the victim. If I ever see him, I’ll make sure to give hi
Jane felt that Zachary had too many tricks up his sleeve.Moreover, she felt that it was better not to fully trust men.There was no such thing as absolute honesty.Even she couldn’t achieve that herself.Jane leaned back against the sofa, looking into his eyes.Her stare made Zachary feel a chill down his spine. He cleared his throat and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”Jane gave a sarcastic smile.Zachary was rendered speechless.He tactically glanced at his watch and asked, “Are you sleepy?”“Nope.”“Hungry?”“Nope.”Jane raised her hand and patted his face. “Playing tricks on me?”This feeling was like looking at himself.For a moment, Zachary didn’t know how to react.The corners of his lips twitched slightly as he said, “I’m just trying to discuss things with you.”“Oh, okay.” Jane nodded. “I believe you.”He realized he was wrong—he shouldn’t have tried to help Westley.Zachary hugged her, trying to appease her. “He deserves it. From now on, I won’
Jane found it both infuriating and funny. “Well, he deserved it.”Zachary agreed with her and said, “Westley did try to distance himself from her, but during the years from her university to her career, he kept an eye on her the entire time.Especially because Jordan never dated anyone, he kept wondering whether she truly liked him as a person or if it was because he hadn’t acted cold enough.”“The dramatic part is that when Jordan turned 20, Sir Howard fell gravely ill and insisted that they get married. Back then, Westley saw the excitement and joy in Jordan’s eyes. So, he drafted an agreement that stated they would divorce after Sir Howard passed away. After they registered their marriage, he went to work in another city and didn’t return to the Howard family for three years.”Jane clicked her tongue several times. “His grandfather was gravely ill, and he didn’t even go to see him?”“There were people reporting the situation to him. His grandfather’s illness was a foregone conc
Zachary curved his lips into a faint smile. “You’re so nosy. Why didn’t you become a journalist? Going into fashion seems like such a waste of talent. Maybe you could have got rid of a lot of scumbags.”Jane slapped him lightly. “That’s not what I want to hear.”Zachary honestly didn’t know much about Tanner’s situation.He wasn’t particularly close to the Greyson family—Westley probably knew more of the details than he did.“All I know is that things didn’t end on a good note. For the specifics, you’d have to ask Westley.”Jane stared at him intently, her gaze unwavering.Her stare finally made Zachary a bit uncomfortable.“What?”Jane crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and said, “Are you thinking I’ll go ask Westley? That way, he can use this as leverage to make me help him with Jordan?”Zachary massage his temples. “You do know me pretty well.”Jane lifted her chin proudly. “Of course.”Zachary reached out and hooked her chin lightly with his finger. “It’s not about mak
Jane turned his face toward her and gave him a quick kiss.Zachary closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to calm himself.“What is this? Are you so happy you want to ‘finish off’ your husband to celebrate?”“Stop talking nonsense.” Jane smacked him lightly on the head. “It’s a joyous day, don’t say such unlucky things.”Zachary grabbed her hand. “Then what are you trying to do?”“Are you happy seeing me suffer?”“Do I look like that kind of person? I’ve been feeling awful because of your morning sickness. You can’t eat, and I can’t help—it makes me anxious.”“How about you fix that smile of yours before saying that?”Jane burst out laughing, collapsing into his arms.Zachary sighed helplessly. “I really can’t win against you.”“If you want to ask something, just ask—no need for all this.”Jane sat up. “You should eat something first.”“No need.”Just hearing the word “eat” made Zachary feel queasy.“I know my limits.”“You have stomach problems. What ‘limits’ do
"First, let me apologize for keeping this from you for so long."Jane’s curiosity was piqued to its peak. “What is it? Hurry up and tell me.”Zachary wanted to approach the matter gradually, but after giving it some thought, he decided that Jane would likely be more happy than upset about the truth. So, he said it outright.“Jasper isn’t your biological father.”Silence.Jane’s eyes gradually widened, so much so that they seemed about to pop out.She was too shocked to speak.She wanted to ask something, her mouth open, but no sound came out.For a moment, she wondered if she had misheard him.The dark days of her past, the beatings and scoldings, flashed in her mind like a slideshow.For years, she had felt that having a father like Jasper was a stain on her life.On the outside, she put on a tough appearance and claimed she had no heart.But deep down, she was insecure and sensitive.After falling in love with Zachary, she lived in constant fear that her background would