Charlie talked about his ex-girlfriend every day, and Frank joked about her being his "true love," but he never denied it.“Nina, tell me the truth. If you don’t tell me the truth, I won’t be able to help you,” Rebecca urged.Nina looked at Zachary and then shook her head vigorously at Rebecca. Everyone present could tell there was something deeper going on, but Nina was afraid of Zachary and didn’t dare to speak up. “Don’t look at him. Just tell your Mrs. Collins the truth so that she, along with Grandpa, Grandma, and your godfather, can understand whose fault it really is,” Rebecca insisted. Nina bit her lip, hesitating for a long while before she finally spoke. Zachary didn’t stop her, he also wanted to hear how she would recount that night’s events. “Mrs. Collins, actually, it was my fault…” She stumbled over her words. “One night, Zachary got unhappy because Miss Greenwood brought her boyfriend and drank a bit too much, and he ended up getting himself drunk.” The e
Zachary glanced at his watch, there was still some time left. He asked, “Let me hear it—what do the elders expect me to do? Marry her?” Nina’s eyes lit up with surprise, but she kept her head down, and no one noticed. Sir Collins furrowed his brows. “It’s just about taking responsibility, I’m not saying you should marry her. You still need to marry someone who can support you—someone who can help you if your career faces difficulties in the future.” Nina understood, indeed, she couldn’t hold any expectations for the Collins family. Sir Collins had brought her back merely to allow her to see him off, covering up the guilt of separating them for years and of her near-misfortune abroad. Rebecca’s kindness toward her was based on her behaving well and understanding her place, as if she were just a non-blood relative. There was no hope for anything more with Zachary. At this stage, they were merely considering the interests of the Collins family, regardless of her feelings. Sh
“Jane, Sir Collins is in the hospital.”Jane jumped out of bed, quickly washed up, got dressed, and called a taxi to the hospital.After getting out of the car, she called Charlotte. Charlotte and Frank were already at the hospital. After hanging up, she told Frank and then came downstairs to find her.Jane walked over quickly. “What happened?”Charlotte said, “He’s old and got too angry, so he fainted.”Jane bit her lip. “Is it because of me and Zachary?”Charlotte shook her head. “Not entirely. Don’t overthink it. It also has something to do with Nina. If you want to see Zachary, I’ll talk to Frank, but we need to avoid the Collins family for now. We can’t let Sir Collins know.”“They’ve locked down the news. Sir Collins’s illness can’t be spread, so I can’t take you up there for now. I’m sorry.”Firstly, it was because of Sir Collins's status.Secondly, although Charlotte was Jane's close friend, this was a private matter of the Collins family, and she had no standing to ma
“Don’t worry and don’t overthink things. You know me, I’ve always been easygoing.”Charlotte didn’t mention that if Jane really were that easygoing, she wouldn’t have gone up to the rooftop that day.“Message me when you get home.”A week later, Sir Collins was discharged from the hospital and returned home.Jane also received a message that Zachary was coming to see her.Over the past few days, they occasionally exchanged messages, mostly relayed through Charlotte.Knowing that Sir Collins was okay made her happy, so she impulsively went to the supermarket to buy some vegetables and meat, planning to cook something.She had failed before, but practice made perfect.This time, she thought she could finally cook.However, she still overestimated herself.When Zachary arrived at the door, he heard a piercing alarm.Thinking it was a gas leak, he didn’t knock and instead entered the door code Jane had given him.Once inside, he was met with thick smoke that stung his eyes.“J
He picked up the apron from the ground and put it on, starting to prepare the ingredients.When he marinated the meat, he realized there weren’t enough ingredients.He thought for a moment and decided to make something simple.Roy was very efficient in his work.When Jane opened the door and saw him, she was a bit surprised. “Are you looking for Zachary?”Roy handed her the rice. “Mr. Collins asked me to bring this.”Jane accepted it without understanding, and before she could even say thank you, Roy had already disappeared.With such impressive skills, if he had been guarding the top floor that night, she and Zachary wouldn’t have woken up to find someone else beside them.Even if the surveillance footage could be deleted, it wouldn’t escape Roy.“What are you daydreaming about?”Zachary received Roy's message and came out to check.He found her standing at the door, lost in thought, with the door still open.He walked over to close the door and took the items from her han
The large bed in the bedroom suddenly sank.The neatly arranged sheets gradually became a mess.The view outside changed from golden warm sunlight to reddish-orange sunset.The blanket was in disarray.Zachary picked up Jane and headed to the bathroom...The consequences of exercising on an empty stomach meant he had to reheat food in the middle of the night.Jane, having not eaten either, was too lazy to move even her fingers, while Zachary was full of energy.He helped Jane into her silk pajamas, tucked her in, and then quickly took a shower.Afterward, he went to the kitchen to reheat the food.He also wiped away the red wine stains on the dining table.Once everything was set, he went back to the bedroom and carried Jane out.Jane immediately stuffed a bite of food into her mouth.Finally feeling alive again.Zachary served her some soup. “Drink this first.”Jane gulped it down, feeling warmth spread in her stomach.“Slow down.”Zachary looked at her affectionately
The other matter was about the beast who harmed Jane.“Yes, sir.”Zachary hung up the phone and wanted to smoke a cigarette, only to realize he was wrapped in a bath towel.He pushed open the balcony door, stepped inside, and went to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of cold water and drinking half of it.If the surveillance couldn’t be restored, he would have to resort to methods, as Frank suggested.Michael was relatively easy to handle, with his grandmother around, it wouldn’t be hard to get information about that night.But Nina’s situation was more troublesome.Their testimonies had to be consistent.When Jane woke up, it was already dark outside.She looked beside her and found it empty.After wandering around the living room, she found no one there.On the balcony, however, their discarded clothes were hanging.She picked up her phone to call Zachary.Just as she dialed, she noticed a note on the coffee table."Went back home, the food is warming in the pot. If you do
Zachary did not want to argue and walked toward his room. At the door, he saw Nina. Zachary ignored her, he still needed to explain to Jane that he could not go over tonight. He had no time to waste. “Zachary.” Nina blocked his path. Zachary took a step back to create distance and said in an extremely cold tone, “If you can tell the truth about that night, then I will stand here and listen to you for a moment.” If you can’t, then I don’t have time to listen to you.” Nina looked shocked. “Zachary, what are you talking about? What truth about that night? Are you doubting that I lied to everyone?” Zachary did not speak, but his silence implied consent. Tears streamed down Nina’s face. “Zachary, although society has progressed and the standards for a girl’s virtue are no longer so strict, do I really need to lie about my innocence?” Zachary looked at her coldly. He felt as if those previous years had been wasted. He was shocked to discover how corrupt her t
Caleb was thinking that in the future, he could let her drink a little more.Of course, only when he was around.She looked kind of cute like this."I did say that, but didn't you just say you wanted to thank me?"Whitney felt that alcohol really wasn't a good thing.Even when hanging out with Jane and the others, she decided not to drink too much anymore.The rationality and logic that she was so proud of had completely vanished.She had never been as calm in front of Caleb as she was with others.Besides, there was a power imbalance between her and him.If she were sober, she wouldn't have been able to reject him anyway.Let alone now, when her mind was muddled.But maybe because she was muddled, she dared to say things that she didn’t usually dare to say."I just lost my balance earlier, and you helped me. Even if you don't accept verbal gratitude, that doesn't mean I owe you something this big."Caleb saw she could barely stand, so he held her by the waist to keep her
"But your reaction just now didn’t seem like you knew I was here."Jane tried to pull her leg back, but when she couldn't, she slapped him in frustration."It was called acting, understand? I didn't want you to look embarrassed, so I got those two out of the way first."Zachary rubbed her ankle with his thumb, as if he believed her. "Then should I be thanking you—for being so considerate?"Jane couldn't be bothered to argue. "Let go. I want to drink.""I'll drink with you."Meanwhile, Frank held Charlotte close and asked in a low voice, "Did she really know we were here?"Charlotte nodded. "What do you think? You really think Jane would mess around during her marriage? She might be bold, but she has boundaries. But you guys really are annoying."Frank hooked her chin with his thumb. "I knew it. You're being cold to me because you're sick of me. I've said it so many times, and you still wouldn't admit it."After saying that, he picked her up and walked out of the bar.He hadn'
Charlotte nudged him with her elbow, warning him not to stir things up.Jordan truly didn't dare to stay any longer. "Westley, take me home.""Okay." Westley finally got up. "You all take your time. If it gets too late, don't go back to the old house—just find a place to crash.""But..." Jordan suddenly felt like leaving wasn't such a good idea. "Maybe I'll stay and play a bit more."Westley simply dragged her out."Jane and Zachary...""You can't control what they do, so why bother worrying over nothing?"Jordan was settled into the passenger seat, her seatbelt fastened firmly.She didn't resist, mostly because she felt what Westley said made sense.Jane was way more capable than she was. This kind of minor drama would be easy for her to handle.Plus, with the smart and composed Charlotte around—It was better if she didn't add to the chaos.Once Westley got into the driver's seat, she asked, "Why did you guys show up? Especially you—didn't you say no seeing each other a w
But it was just a polite gesture—if they had been singing inside, they wouldn't have heard her anyway.So after knocking, she pushed the door open and went in.Charlotte and the others followed to take a look.When they saw the scene inside, they gasped.The four men from home were sitting around a cards table, all eyes on the door, each with a different expression.Zachary looked at Jane, who entered first, and said with a smile, "Honey, pick someone you like and give him a kiss."Jane took a step back and bumped into Charlotte's arms.That was when she noticed the big screen beside them—it was showing their own private room."You were watching us?"Zachary tapped the cards on the table with his long fingers, still smiling."If we weren't watching, how would we get to enjoy such an entertaining scene?"They had all been drinking.Whitney didn't hold her liquor well. She was already a little dazed. Although the room was fairly bright, everything seemed a little off to her.
Caleb didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Westley and played a card.Westley won.And it was a big pot as well.He cocked his brows. "Is this your wedding gift to me, Caleb?"Caleb asked, "Your wedding—Dr. Greyson won't be absent, will he? I heard you two are very close. You've been at death's door multiple times, and he's the one who saved you."Westley nodded. "Theoretically, yes. But I'm not sure if he might have some emergency.""Besides, it's not like you, Caleb, can't reach him. You helped him last time. It's impossible he'd ignore you now."Caleb could contact Carter, but if he did, it would mean helping Carter meet Mandy.He had no interest in meddling in romantic matters—too troublesome.But he couldn't get in touch with Tanner at all.Technically, there was no real need for him to attend Westley's wedding.Even if Whitney was invited by Jane, he himself wasn't obligated.He simply wanted to go, hoping to "accidentally" run into Carter.That way, it wouldn't loo
Frank pulled her into his arms and asked, "You really have to go out for drinks?"Charlotte nodded. "It's a girls-only night. No men allowed.""Oh?" The man repeated slowly and deliberately, "No… men… allowed?"Charlotte saw the look on his face and knew exactly what he was thinking."Only women. Even the drinks are for women.""Oh? Tell me, how do you tell if a drink is male or female?"Charlotte lightly patted his face twice. "The drinks women drink are for women. Got it?"Frank laughed. "Got it."Over on Jane's end, after finishing her call, she was about to go look for Jordan, but Zachary pulled her into the room and pinned her against the wall.His warm lips covered hers, then quickly pulled away.With his forehead against hers, the man asked, "Going out for drinks?"Jane hooked his chin with her finger. "What, Mr. Collins, trying to seduce your way into a drinking invitation?"Zachary chuckled lowly, kissed her again, and asked, "May I?""No."Jane rejected him comp
Jordan had grown up in the Howard family, but the person who had taken care of her since she was little had an old house.She arranged for Jane and the others to stay there, and she would also be getting married from that house.She didn't have many friends. Originally, Leanne was supposed to be her bridesmaid. Although she had a child, she had never been married.But Leanne wasn't sure if she could make it back in time, so she let Jane and Charlotte take over as substitutes for now. They would adjust accordingly later."Try on the dress. If there's a problem, I can still make adjustments."With the help of the two of them, Jordan put on the wedding dress.But Jane was most looking forward to the wedding dress.Both her and Charlotte's weddings were going to be Cherian style.Jordan, however, wanted a Western-style one.And Charlotte, who had designed clothes for many years, had never actually designed a wedding dress before.This was her first attempt, and she was very excit
"Okay, I won't bring it up anymore."Westley walked over with Jonathan and sat down.Miranda was very satisfied. "Finally, Jordy can have dinner with me again."Jordan smiled. "I'm also happy. I can still call you Mom.""Then let's drink to that.""Okay."Westley waited for the "mother and daughter" to finish speaking, then threw out a big announcement. "By the way, our wedding is on the 22nd of next month."Clang!The spoon in Miranda's hand fell."What did you say?""On the 22nd of next month, Jordy and I are getting married. We sincerely invite you and your husband to attend."Jordan was also shocked.She only knew that Charlotte's dress was being made, and they were picking the wedding date.But Westley hadn't told her about this in advance."Next month, it's almost the New Year.""Yes, it's a wedding before the New Year. Then we'll celebrate the New Year at home. I'm informing you in advance, my dear mom. You can prepare for the the New Year Eve dinner.""The New Y
Jonathan almost spit out the tea he was drinking."You have principles now?""Not the right time to talk nonsense."Westley. "Do you always talk in a way that pokes others' pain points?"Jonathan smiled for a moment. "If you've done it, don't be afraid of people talking about it."Westley didn't want to continue the conversation and stood up to leave.He went to the kitchen to find Jordan and found her eating ravioli."Didn't you say you'd help?" Westley sat next to her. "How come you're eating secretly? Give me a bite?"Jordan guarded the food. "It’s in the kitchen. There's still plenty in the pot.""But I want to eat from your bowl.""But I don't want to give you any."Westley laughed. "Okay."But while Jordan took a bite of the ravioli, he kissed her.Jordan's eyes widened as she felt the ravioli in her mouth being stolen away."You're disgusting."Westley smiled. "Sweet."Jordan couldn't eat anymore and pushed the remaining ravioli to him. "I'm not eating anymore."