Several people were standing at the emergency room door. Danny was among them. "Aunt!" He threw himself at my legs. "Aunt, I saw the bad guys take you away. I was so scared. It was a good thing that Uncle was capable of saving you, but he got hurt." He sniffled. "I didn't know Uncle would end up like this…" I hadn't expected it either. Ultimately, it was still my fault. "Why aren't you asleep? It’s so late." Alana explained for him, "He slept, but he was worried because he hadn't seen you. When he woke up, he rushed over to check on you." I patted his head. "Good boy." Jane tapped my shoulder. "You two talk. I need to make a few work calls." "Is something wrong at the company?" I asked. "No, I can handle it. You don't need to worry about it." Jane reassured me, "I'll be right next door. If you need anything, call me." "Okay." I nodded. "You handle your things, I still have Danny here." Danny puffed out his little chest. "Pretty sister, I'm here
I had already reached my limit. I needed to consider the baby, so after breakfast, I planned to sleep. Frank was down, Alan was still injured, and Zachary was here to keep watch for a couple of days. The Smith family and SZ Technology had accumulated quite a bit of business that needed addressing. Before leaving, I wanted to talk to Jane, but she was sitting on the sofa, absorbed in her phone, giving no sign that she wanted to chat. Given the current situation, it wasn't the best time for a conversation. I decided to wait. I dreamt of my grandmother again. She probably wasn't at ease about me, as she kept coming to my dreams. "Lily, throughout life, one must experience birth, aging, illness, and death. I am very happy that while I am still alive, I can have this period of grandparent-grandchild relationship with you. At first, I thought I would never see you again in this life." I hugged my grandmother tightly. "Grandma…" I cried freely in her embrace, I d
"Once everything’s been taken care of, we'll get married right away, how about that?" Frank stared at me for a long time without saying a word. I could see the emotions swirling in his eyes—complex feelings of disbelief, joy, excitement, and perhaps even a hint of me stealing his chance to propose. But in the end, he said nothing and simply hugged me. I wanted to pat his back to comfort him, but remembering his injury, I gently patted the back of his head twice. "Go celebrate over there, I need to talk to Dr. Travis." Frank released me, giving me one last look before moving aside to give Dr. Travis some space. I turned to Dr. Travis and said, "I can't manage my feelings alone anymore. Please come up with a plan, and I will follow it strictly, as long as it can help me keep this child." Frank immediately added, "We can keep the child, but not at the cost of making Charlotte suffer too much." Dr. Travis stroked his beard and asked, "Have you made your decision?
When I was nearing delivery, my mom and uncle came to see me. I had visited her before when she was in the hospital. Not only was she physically and mentally shattered, but the reporters kept sneaking in because of the high media attention. My uncle arranged for her to go abroad for treatment, and it just so happened that Zachary knew a psychologist there. Seeing them arrive, I couldn't help but feel happy and quickly got up to walk over. "Mom, Uncle, you're here!" My mom was startled. "You child, your belly is so big now, why are you still so worked up?" My uncle glanced at my round belly and nodded. "That's good, you've put on some weight. There was a time when you looked so haggard and frail, you would have fallen over with just a gust of wind." I smiled awkwardly and looked at my mom. "How's the treatment going? I couldn't get through to you when I called, and Uncle said you were doing well." My uncle said, "Most of the injuries are healing well, but organiz
"Thanking others is a good virtue, it's what elementary school teachers teach." Zachary had been somewhat impatient and even a bit annoyed by her incessant messages and provocations. But since that day at the airport, he felt quite uncomfortable about their interactions. Yet he hadn't found the opportunity to sit down and talk with her properly. Once Charlotte gave birth, he would need to make time for that. "Why hasn't she come out yet?" Frank was pulling at his own hair in frustration. Seeing him pull out a lighter, Alan quickly stopped him. "Frank, your sister-in-law hasn't been inside for long. Giving birth isn't like buying something, be patient. Ms. Jackson is in there with her, so she'll be fine. Don't scare yourself." "If the baby comes out and you smell like smoke, you'll choke her." Frank hadn't caught much of what was said earlier, but he did hear that last part. He tossed the lighter into his pocket and found a reflective surface to tidy up
But I didn't expect that my milk wouldn't come out naturally and I would need the help of professionals. The pain was arguably worse than giving birth itself. "Is this person professional?" Frank stood at the door, wanting to go in multiple times but was held back by Alan. When my mom saw that Alan was losing his grip, she handed the baby to him. Sure enough, he froze. "It's normal to feel pain. I know you're worried about Charlotte, but this is a necessary process, there's no way around it." Frank wanted to give the baby back to my mom, but she wouldn't take her. "You take the baby and walk around a bit." If he stayed there watching, the professionals inside would probably be scared to death. "Jane, come with me to buy some things." Yasmin took Jane with her and also called Alan along. Zachary was busy helping Frank with a meeting today, so he wasn't there. At that moment, Frank was alone at the door, staring at his daughter. The baby didn't cry,
Jane seemed to have endless wealth, waving her hand, "How is it a waste of money when you spend it on your daughter? Besides, Frank doesn't lack money." She put little shoes on the baby and added, "Mr. Smith said he'd reimburse me for everything, so it's fine." I thought to myself, ‘Everyone here is quite extravagant.’"Aw... so cute!" Jane couldn't help but kiss the baby and asked, "Have you chosen a formal name yet? You can't just keep calling her 'baby.'" "When I visit others, they even have nicknames. We should at least have a formal name." I felt that names just had to be simple and easy to remember. But Frank was different, he insisted on a unique name. He flipped through dictionaries every day but never found anything he liked. "Why don't you choose the nickname? I can't decide on the formal name." I initially planned to just call her "baby" until Frank picked a name that would last. I thought I could come up with a nickname later that would match
Frank even went to a church for a name. When I found out, I couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. My mom sighed. "It's my fault as a mother-in-law, I put too much pressure on him." Jane teased, "Now you have more competition for Frank's love." "He's a materialist, and now he's religious." "Don't stir up trouble," I huffed. "He's not loving anyone else, he loves my daughter. I'm actually happy about it." But Frank's actions were indeed a bit over the top. A name was important, but it didn’t require such a big fuss. When he returned, I planned to talk to him about it seriously. Instead, he put a bracelet on my wrist. "The good luck charm from Alana is too childish. This one can help you ward off all disasters." I couldn't help but feel my resolve weaken. My heart was gradually filled with emotion. He used to be so arrogant, yet now he sought divine protection for our peace. It was quite unbelievable. "Alan said you went to seek a n
“Why?” asked Jane.“Because such an opportunity is rare,” replied Zachary.Westley indeed cherished the opportunity tonight.Regarding potential rivals, he had investigated a lot.Oliver was the only person who was a little close to Jordan.So tonight, he was confident he could remain emotionally stable and have a proper conversation with Jordan.But he hadn’t expected to encounter a problem as soon as they got off the plane.“Jordan!”Leanne, holding a large bouquet of sunflowers, immediately passed the flowers to Jordan upon seeing her.“If I hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have been able to catch you. It’s been so long since we’ve gathered together.”“No matter what happens between you and my brother, we can’t cut off our relationship, right?”Jordan had always had a good relationship with the members of the Howard familyNo one treated her poorly or like an outsider.During her school years, any troublemakers had been dealt with by the Howard family.Especially Leanne, who h
Zachary was rendered speechlessFrank teased him, "Family status."Zachary ignored him, as if Frank's family status was any higher."Dominic is keeping an eye on things over there, which is reassuring. The finished products have already been produced, and Jordan helped take some photos. The promotional effect has been good.""Dominic is reliable. It's just a pity I can't model for the later set of the clothes' promotions. Honestly, I really wanted to wear them, the patterns in the later designs are even more intricate."Charlotte glanced at her belly. "You're not showing yet, so you can wear them. I had Dominic send them over. I was in a rush to come back today because of Jordan and didn't bring them, but when the package arrives, you can wear them for the shoot."Jane sighed. "I wonder if the girl will still have time to help me take photos in a few days. I want her to take my maternity photos too.""Whether or not she gets divorced, if you ask her, she’ll definitely come. You
“Let’s go back to the the Howard family’s residence.”“It’s too late, I don’t want to disturb them.”Jordan gritted her teeth. “Then let’s go to your house. It’s so big, we can each take a room and not disturb each other.”Westley calmly took a sip of tea. “It’s not very convenient.”Jordan’s temper flared. “Let’s just stay in a hotel!”Westley replied, “There are too many people watching me in Nelana. I don’t want to be misunderstood.”Jane and Charlotte exchanged a look.They both understood each other’s thoughts.Before, they had thought Westley was calculating and manipulative.He had always been clever at using tricks to handle Jordan.Now, they realized it wasn’t just that.This man had a thick skin—he could say anything without blinking.But they didn’t fully understand Westley’s intentions.He clearly had the chance to spend time alone with Jordan, perhaps to explain some things and clear the air.Yet he kept refusing.If he felt it was inconvenient, if he didn’t
At that moment, someone under Westley came to report.“Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Howard flew to Jeswood. They’re likely going back to celebrate Mr. Collins and Mrs. Collins’ wedding.”Westley immediately booked a flight as well.When Jordan saw Jane, she started venting her frustrations.As she spoke, her voice gradually faded, and she apologized, “I’m sorry. It’s your big day, and here I am talking about this.”Jane poured her a cup of tea. “It’s alright, I understand. I invited you to celebrate, which is sudden of me, considering you’re in the middle of a divorce.”Jordan shook her head. “I could use the good vibes. Hopefully, it’ll help me get the divorce finalized smoothly.”Zachary and Frank exchanged glances, wisely choosing not to get involved in the conversation.What they didn’t expect was for Westley to show up at such a critical moment.He even handed Zachary a gift. “Congratulations.”Zachary instinctively looked at Jane and saw her smiling faintly. His scalp tingled wi
Zachary had already planned for today.He didn’t take Westley’s words to heart.He assumed Frank would explain things to Charlotte.Who knew Charlotte actually accompanied Jordan to Nelana?“It’s not that, it’s just a coincidence.”Jane chatted with Charlotte and asked about Jordan’s situation.Charlotte said, “Westley didn’t show up, so the young girl is very angry right now. I’m taking her to get some photos taken.”“Then after you’re done, come back. How can I celebrate without you here?”Nelana and Jeswood weren’t far from each other. Charlotte checked the time and agreed.“If you’re hungry, just eat something first. Don’t keep waiting. Once I’m on the plane, I’ll let you know. You can roughly estimate the timing.”“Alright!”Jane hung up the phone and looped her arm around Zachary’s. “I want to eat a strawberry cake.”Zachary helped her into the car and instructed Ross to drive to a cake shop.He got out of the car himself to buy it.As Jane ate, she asked, “So if We
“I don’t care! I must go back and put on some makeup!” Jane declared.Ross, who would rather face Zachary’s wrath than make Jane unhappy, immediately prepared to turn the car around.But Zachary stopped him. “Keep driving.”He gently patted Jane’s back to calm her down.“I know you’re excited about getting the certificate, but don’t get so worked up—think about the baby.”Was that what he thought this was about?Jane grabbed Zachary’s ear. “Are you getting old and becoming deaf? I said turn the car around! If you keep pretending not to hear me, don’t even think about me taking a photo with you to get the certificate when we get there!”In the end, Zachary had no choice but to compromise.Jane hadn’t done her makeup in a while. With the sudden pregnancy, she hadn’t had the time to prepare maternity-safe cosmetics.So they went to the mall, where she bought what she needed and applied a full, flawless makeup look.Feeling beautiful and confident, she finally went to the Civil A
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