Frederick instinctively sniffed his shirt. He detected a faint, almost imperceptible scent of perfume. If not for his heightened sense of smell, honed through years of medical training, it would have gone unnoticed.He deduced that the scent must have lingered from his brief encounter with Anya in the elevator. There had been no physical contact, so the fragrance was barely detectable.Before he could explain, Scarlett's eyes narrowed. "This is a very rare floral perfume. A rare floral blend, with lotus as its heart. A woman's choice, wouldn't you agree? Lotus, rising pristine from the mud, imbues this fragrance with a cool elegance, a subtle allure unlike any other flower. It speaks of a woman... remarkably detached, perhaps even cold."Her analysis was indeed razor-sharp."The kind that would intimidate ordinary men with her mere presence. She would look down on all men, perhaps even everyone."Frederick was dumbfounded. Scarlett's description perfectly matched Anya's! How cou
Frederick held the key and pulled up to a luxurious villa complex in Jenaire City. Apparently, his fiancee had exquisite tastes. This villa was the cream of the crop. As he approached the entrance, a portly security guard with a bored expression waved him off dismissively."Soliciting isn't allowed here, buddy. Move along."Frederick glanced down at his attire, realizing the fat guard probably mistook him for someone seeking work based on his clothes. With a sigh, he clarified, "Actually, I'm not here for a job."The guard gave him a once-over and chuckled. "Yeah, you wouldn't last a day here. We need muscle, not scrawny dudes. Besides, the cleaning crew is full too."Frederick fought back the urge to strangle himself. Seriously? Did he look like a janitor?"Listen closely, I'm not here for employment. My fiancee lives here, and I need to get in."The guard's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Fiance of the cleaning lady, huh?"Frustration bubbled within Frederick. Was this some k
Frederick's heart pounded a little faster as he approached the bathroom door with the retrieved clothes.Just as he reached for the knob, it creaked open a sliver, revealing a glimpse of flawless white skin slick with water droplets.A hand, slender and elegant, extended through the gap."Hurry up and give it to me," a voice called from within. Averting his gaze, Frederick quickly passed the undergarments through the gap and retreated to the couch, a blush warming his cheeks. They were engaged, but not yet married. Anya was certainly a bold one!At that moment, the bathroom door slowly opened. "Oh dear, I had a falling out with my family and rushed over here. I didn't expect you to be back so soon."Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open, revealing a sight that stopped Frederick's breath cold.A woman emerged, clad only in her undergarments and vigorously drying her hair with a towel.Her eyes met Frederick's, widening in surprise.Frederick's eyes mirrored her shock…Th
Fiona's eyes widened in alarm, and she quickly nodded. Only then did Frederick release her. Now free, Fiona remained silent, afraid to provoke him further. She curled up on the couch, using a towel to cover herself."Please, don't hurt me. The owner of this house is my cousin. She's much prettier than I am. Go after her instead."Frederick was taken aback.This young woman was Anya's cousin? What a misunderstanding!"You've got it all wrong. I'm Anya's fiance."Relief washed over Fiona at his words. He wasn't a ruffian after all. She had heard about her cousin's arranged marriage but didn't expect the fiance to be this man.Suddenly, Fiona felt a cool breeze against her skin and realized she was only in her undergarments.Gosh! She had been seen completely naked by her future brother-in-law!She quickly dashed back to her room to get dressed.Frederick watched her retreat and helplessly shrugged. He had already seen Anya's cousin naked on the first day of living together.
Fiona's lips curled into a pout as she tucked the bills into her pocket."Hmph, you'll need to offer at least two million dollars for the hush money!"Frederick's eyebrows shot up in surprise.Two million dollars? That was an exorbitant amount.Noticing his astonishment, Fiona conceded slightly, "Fine, 200 thousand dollars will do."A wave of embarrassment washed over Frederick. He wasn't one to carry large sums of cash, most of his wealth was tied up in Ragnarok. His remaining savings barely amounted to a few thousand dollars."I don't have that kind of money on hand," he admitted sheepishly.Now it was Fiona's turn to be taken aback."You don't even have 200 thousand dollars?"She scrutinized Frederick more closely. Both she and Anya hailed from wealthy families, their social circles populated by individuals for whom 200 thousand dollars was a mere trifle.Fiona had assumed her uncle would choose a well-off suitor for Anya, hence her initial demand for two million dollars.
The biting wind howled, and the snow fell relentlessly. Large snowflakes blanketed everything in a shimmering silver, the winter's chill as unforgiving as ever.In a secluded corner of the park, a boy of seven or eight huddled on a bench, shivering uncontrollably.Frederick had lost both his parents and was overwhelmed with the uncertainty of his future at such a tender age. Perhaps there was no need to dwell on the future at all—he might not even survive the day.As he lay there, his stomach rumbled with hunger, his body grew increasingly cold, and his eyelids drooped heavily.Everything around him blurred as he could no longer endure the frigid conditions.Slowly, he closed his eyes.Just before the darkness fully enveloped him, he saw his parents. They were together as a happy family, just as it had been before.Soon, he thought that he would be in another world, reunited with his mom and dad."Wake up, wake up." Suddenly, a gentle shaking and a clear, childish voice pul
Frederick smiled and pointed at Anya. "You, of course. You're my wife."Anya was dumbfounded. This man was actually calling her his wife?To be called "'wife" by a man was a novel experience for her!As she was going to shout at Frederick, Fiona's voice chimed in from behind, "Ann, you're back."Anya was surprised to see Fiona, as she hadn't been aware of her arrival. Anya hadn't seen Fiona earlier as she was in a different room."Fiona, why are you here? Have you met him?" Anya asked, nodding toward Frederick.Fiona blushed, remembering their recent encounter where Frederick had seen her naked.The question about him only intensified her embarrassment.She managed a quiet "mm-hmm" in response. Anya was oblivious to Fiona's discomfort due to her own inexperience with relationships. She inquired, "Why are you here? Did you have a fight with your family?"Fiona suddenly embraced Anya tightly. "Ann, I ran away from home. I'm here to stay with you."Anya was stunned. "Ran away
Fiona glanced at Frederick, and a wave of bashfulness washed over her.Memories of the incident when he had seen her naked flooded back, turning her cheeks the color of blooming peonies.Anya was unaware of Fiona's inner turmoil. She saw Fiona's face erupt in a fiery blush, reminiscent of a ripe crab. Reaching out with concern, Anya touched Fiona's cheek to check for a fever.The touch sent a jolt through Fiona. She flinched, her own hand instinctively flying to her burning cheeks.Anya's brow furrowed in confusion. "Are you having a fever, Fiona?"Panic bloomed in Fiona's chest. How could she possibly explain the real reason for her flustered state?Stammering, she struggled to form a coherent response.Meanwhile, Frederick sensed Fiona's rising panic and feared she might blurt out their beach encounter.He interjected swiftly. Having just discovered his long-lost savior in Anya, the last thing he needed was a revelation that could jeopardize his newfound connection."Sweethe
Mary's case was the most severe, while Ivan's symptoms were the mildest, and Frederick could roughly deduce the sequence of transmissions among them. It was clear that Mary infected Nigel, who then passed it to Kimberly, then finally passed it to Ivan. Frederick also saw that Ivan was actually a decent person who unfortunately ended up being betrayed and infected. However, Nigel was primarily worried that Ivan might start trusting Frederick, as he wanted Ivan to believe in his capabilities to carry out his plan.Originally, he intended for Mary to insult Frederick for being poor and unskilled, but she ended up attacking him for having an unpleasant odor, which backfired when Frederick exposed her for contracting syphilis. Now, Nigel had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, he then said to Frederick, "Hehe, Frederick. We all know Ivy is a director, what exactly do you do to be worthy of her?"Nigel assumed that Frederick was just a low-level salesperson, something
Hearing Frederick's words, Kimberly jumped with joy and stopped crying. While wiping her tears, she pointed at Mary, laughing and said, "You're covered in syphilis, yet you're making fun of me.""Slut, I wonder how many people you've slept with!" After being pointed and insulted, Mary was furious and she was ready to fight Kimberly. "You bitch! I am going to teach you a lesson!" At this moment, Nigel felt terrible. If Mary was diseased, he'd be the first victim. He grabbed Mary and shouted, "Bitch, let me teach you a lesson first. Now I know why you always wanted the lights off! I thought you were shy, but you just didn't want me to find out."In a fit of anger, Nigel slapped Mary hard across the face. Just as Mary was about to explain, she was interrupted by another slap. Holding her face, she yelled angrily, "Nigel, how dare you hit me?! Do you want me to expose all your little schemes and tricks?"Nigel froze in horror; if Mary exposed him, it would have been disastrous.
Kimberly heard her laughter, and body odor had always been a sensitive issue for her; a wound she'd tried to cover up over the years. For Frederick to bring it up in front of everyone felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. Yet what hurt even more was Mary's laughter; as a fellow woman, it felt like salt to the wound, then roasting it. Kimberly was furious, pointed at Mary and said, "What are you laughing at? Do you want me to come over there and shut you up?"Mary felt wronged, she had only let out a reflexive laugh, but now Kimberly's anger was directed at her. "Did I laugh at you? What proof do you have that I laughed at you?""You're the one with body odor, yet you're taking it out on others. You're such an unreasonable woman!"Kimberly grew even angrier after hearing Mary's retort. "You're the one with body odor, your whole family has it!" "Look at what you're wearing, it's like you just threw on two pillowcases. You're a shameless woman, just trying to show off t
When everyone heard Ivy's words, they laughed even more. Her words effectively confirmed that Frederick did indeed have an unpleasant odor. It wasn't entirely her fault as Kimberly's words had been a bit of a trap. "Haha, if you smell, just take a shower and don't embarrass yourself here.""With all that cheap stuff on, no wonder he has a smell."Hearing this, Frederick simply gave a slight smile and then asked Mary and Kimberly, "Are two really that fragrant?"Mary and Kimberly lifted their heads proudly after hearing Frederick's words. "Why don't you ask everyone here, ask them if we smell good or not?""Exactly, go ahead and ask."Both of them considered themselves beautiful, and of course, they would smell pleasant. The men around them quickly chimed in, especially those eager to admire Mary, who was dressed in a way that gave them a bit of eye candy. "Of course, they smell good. How could these two beautiful ladies not smell good?""Hehe, Frederick with his cheap, th
In a hidden corner, Nigel said to Mary, "Damn it, that bumpkin Frederick keeps stealing my spotlight. I am worried that our plan won't go well later.""You should help me humiliate him properly, and Ivan's girlfriend will back you up."Mary pursed her lips and said to Nigel, "Every time something comes up, you just ask me to handle it. My bag hasn't been bought yet, and you've lost 300 thousand dollars"Although Nigel was annoyed by Mary hitting a sore spot, he kept his tone calm and replied, "Help me humiliate Frederick and talk him down in front of Ivan. After that, leave the rest to me. Once it's done, I'll get you more than one bag, I could get you ten bags and it wouldn't be a problem. I don't care about that small amount of money. You saw that Porsche just now, right? I wouldn't mind burning it if I had to." Hearing this, Mary was delighted and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, babe." She hadn't realized that Nigel was so wealthy and even had a Porsche. Up until th
Knowing Martin as someone who knew a lot about wood, everyone immediately looked as though they were ready for a good show. They were convinced that the Saint George statue couldn’t possibly be made of anything valuable.Martin let out a strange exclamation. "What the hell!"Kimberly, thinking that Martin was angry, quickly said, "Mr. Lawson, tell us what’s so disastrous about this wood. Are you saying it’s just a piece of junk?"Contrary to expectations, Martin replied angrily, "I’m saying that whoever preserved this Saint George statue was a jerk. This is genuine sandalwood, and yet it’s completely neglected, covered in dust."Most of the group had no idea what sandalwood was worth, but judging by the name alone, it sounded impressive.Kimberly asked curiously, "Mr. Lawson, are you saying this is really antique wood?"Martin examined the statue carefully, scrutinizing every detail. "Judging by the texture, this carving must have been made at least 150 years ago."Everyone was
"The Saint George statue was indeed a fitting choice for a karaoke." Nigel chuckled, turning to Ivy.“Why didn’t you just go on Amazon and buy a new one for a few dozen bucks? This one is obviously second-hand. Or was it picked up from some junk stall?”Frederick heard Nigel’s mockery and nodded in agreement, a faint smile on his lips. “You’re not wrong. This statue actually was picked up from a street stall.”“At the Treasure Hall in the antique trade market, no less. And yes, it’s an antique.”The truth was, the statue was from the Victorian era. Even the owner of Treasure Hall, Dominic, had recognized its age but dismissed it as worthless, tossing it onto a stall outside.Frederick had picked it up casually, thinking it would come in handy one day, and now it was the perfect gift for Ivan.Hearing this, Nigel burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “An antique? Treasure Hall? You’re really trying to fool us.”Kimberly chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she glance
The group’s attention was fully captured by Frederick’s words, their eyes all on him. Nigel, knowing that Kimberly had informed Ivy at the last minute and that she likely didn’t have a gift, sneered at Frederick."Well, if you’ve got a gift, go ahead and show it.""Considering Ivy and Kimberly’s relationship, the gift should be pretty decent, right?"Everyone was now staring at Frederick with anticipation, curious to see what kind of gift he could produce.Ivy, on the other hand, was completely flustered. She hadn’t handed any gift to Frederick, though she understood he was trying to help her out of a tough spot. But wasn’t this making things even more awkward?Nigel continued to press him, "Where’s the gift? Come on, take it out already.""After all this time, you still can’t take it out. Don’t tell me you don’t even have one."Frederick glanced at Nigel with a calm smile. "Oh? Are you planning to bet 300 grand with me again?"Nigel froze. There was no way he had another 300 t
Ivan was deeply moved, feeling as though all the unpleasantness from their school days had been swept away. A sense of childhood nostalgia, unique to old classmates, welled up within him.The crowd continued to shower Nigel with praise, giving him thumbs up one after another."A gift worth 10 grand is no small amount. Nigel is truly generous.""That’s right. These days, even classmates hesitate to prepare gifts, but Nigel has shown such generosity.."Most of the attendees had come because of their connection with Kimberly. Each had prepared gifts with costs ranging from a few hundred dollars. Compared to Nigel’s grandiose gift worth 10 thousand, their contributions paled in comparison.Hearing the compliments, Nigel waved his hand dismissively, feigning modesty. "It’s nothing, really. After all, Ivan and I are good friends from way back."Then, Nigel’s expression shifted slightly as he added, "Speaking of good friends, I’m sure it’s not just me and Ivan here who share a special b