She considered their first encounter to have been a draw. As always, Raeleigh didn't have a proper seat in the room. Standing beside her, Jepherson didn't sit either; they were a tableau of modern-day star-crossed lovers. Marissa simply averted her eyes to prevent a headache from coming on. "Jenna, your father wants you to have this, and this is from me." Marissa took a gift and handed it to Jenna, who quickly received it and thanked her. "Thank you, Mom." Hansen stood to one side, his hands clasped behind his back, as if it had nothing to do with him. Raeleigh lowered her gaze slightly. It was better not to look around if she didn't have to, so as to avoid meeting a gaze that she shouldn't and end up making things awkward. However, the way Hansen was standing with his hands laced behind his back still made her feel like he was a carbon copy of Jepherson. Their posture and disposition were the same, not to mention their appearance. And es
After going in, Santiago was standing on one side, waiting for Marissa's gift. She was not willing to give it to him, but he, ever the thick-skinned, instead reached out to take it for himself. As Marissa was telling him off, Jenna was naturally in a bad mood as she stood at the side. No matter what, he was still her son. Why was it that Santiago received such treatment just because he was not the eldest? Even when it came to gifts, he had to ask for them on his own accord. She really wished that Marissa would take the initiative to give things to Santiago, but that was never the case. She had given birth to two children, but Marissa just didn't like her youngest son, Santiago. Jenna really felt helpless. After taking the gift away from Marissa, Santiago walked away from her and over to Raeleigh. He threw the gift, which was a stack of money, to her and said, "Take it. Go on a spree and buy some clothes for yourself." Raeleigh caught the gift with both han
After the meal was ready, Marissa came out of the room while Raeleigh stood aside. After she sat down, Raeleigh pulled Jepherson over to take a seat. Over the entire course of the meal, Marissa didn't spare either of them a single glance. Once she had eaten, she packed her luggage and took some necessities before getting in the car and leaving the Richards Group Manor. Jenna then got in the car with her. Before doing so, she had been talking to Raeleigh. Of course, Marissa would not bother about things like this, at least not in front of Raeleigh. However, it was another matter after getting in the car. Marissa took a look at the person beside her and began to complain, "She's not as good as she seems. You're too innocent." "They're all just children. Honestly, children are all the same. Although she isn't the best in some aspects, she will learn as she grows up." Jenna couldn't just decide whether children were inherently good or bad. However, she w
Raeleigh felt that she was a fool who rushed in where angels fear to tread. Be that as it may, even fools had a world of their own. Even if she were to be trapped in an abyss, she would not find it dark. After all, someone had already lit up the road ahead of her. Insofar as she followed where the lights guided her, she would surely be able to reach the place she wanted to go. Jepherson looked at her and cupped her face. "Well, aren't you stupid!" "At least better than a certain someone." Raeleigh scoffed at him, the only difference being that there was a smile on her lips. When she turned around, she took in the scene in front of her. The truth was, she was very clear that the Jepherson she wanted was like the raging waves in front of her. Not everyone could conquer him, but she wanted to give it a try anyway. He held her from behind, waiting for her to say something. However, she kept silent the whole time, as if she had already detached her soul f
Santiago's bandages made him look like a poor imitation of a mummy. He pulled Raeleigh to him, though she jerked back her hand and gritted, "Do not touch me." He stood behind her, hands on his hips. "Et tu, Raeleigh? You just had a fill of your touchy-feely time with my body and you say no when it's my turn?" She packed up her things, putting them under the bed and kicking it deep into the empty space. She raised her head and glared at him. "What's the deal with you, huh?" The moment she looked up, a rare expression of rage surfaced on her petite face. Santiago went all scarecrow mode. Looking at Raeleigh's flickering eyes, he dared not meet her gaze. She was so furious that her face had lost all blood color. She looked around and continued to clean up, squatting down and wiping the floor. Santiago looked down at her. "It's common for boys to fight. This is just a minor injury. No lives were lost in that essential teenage rite of passage."
By the time Raeleigh got home, Santiago was in the kitchen, on a hunt for food. He did not find any beer, but did find a tomato and planned to first pacify his protesting stomach. When she stepped through the door, she found him with his mouth wide open, about to chomp down on it. Immediately, she stated, "Put it down." Taken by surprise, Santiago set the tomato down. She quietly shook off her shoes and went to the kitchen to make some sandwiches as a temporary snack for him. "It's dinner time soon. I'll be watching over you for a while. You have to cut back on certain food. I decide what goes into your mouth and what doesn't." Raeleigh counted the ingredients in the refrigerator carefully and found the things she needed, putting them aside in preparation. Then, they had dinner, which consisted of quite a few dishes. Santiago stood in the kitchen nibbling sandwiches, while Xanthus helped to cook. Raeleigh asked Santiago, "How did you get the wound on
After eating breakfast, Santiago called Jacky, and the two of them made plans to meet up. While Santiago then stood up to leave, Raeleigh also put down her utensils and went to take the clothes that she had prepared beforehand. Only then did he realize that the clothes she had were rather casual ones. They were a black sweater and black pants, clothes that she could wear anywhere. As for the coat, it belonged to Xanthus. She had even prepared a hat and some woolen gloves. Santiago saw her putting on those clothes and asked curiously, "What are you doing?" "These are my brother's. You wear them first. Yours are already in the washing machine." After she was done putting on her clothes, she gave some to Santiago. Santiago looked back at Xanthus, who was eating, but he did not respond at all. "I'm gonna deal with something, why are you following me?" "When did I say I was following you? I just happen to be going the same way," Raeleigh retorted, to which Sant
"You don't have to look for him," Santiago stated before turning to Raeleigh and telling her, "Don't go anywhere for the next few days and stay close to me." Raeleigh didn't answer. That was indeed the best course of action. Santiago took out his phone and turned away to call Jepherson. "Let me ask you, is there anyone around Raeleigh aside from me?" Jepherson had just got in a car. Looking drowsy, he responded, "No." Santiago hung up the phone, glanced at Raeleigh, turned back to the car and asked her to get in. She got into the car and started it up, heading to Waverly Village. ...... "Why were you so careless?" Jepherson was rather annoyed, but he was not angry. The driver, who was exceptionally young, said, "I did change the license plate over and over again, and I didn't bump into anything. Even so, I was still found." "That's because of your habit. In the future, don't open the window and stretch your arm out when you drive. R