"You just need to be my faithful wife."Your duties include maintaining a pure reputation outside and avoiding any scandals that could impact Lockwood Corporation. "This also includes the responsibilities of being a spouse. As for whether we will have a second child, that will be decided two years after the wedding."…Paityn blinked lightly when Jamie finished speaking and expressed his intentions clearly.Her voice was slow as she replied, "It sounds like you've granted me a tremendous favor. I can see my child anytime and have 50 million a year to spend. "On top of that, I have the opportunity to bear your second child. I believe many women would be overjoyed to receive such privileges, but I do not want them. After all, you don't treat me as a person in this marriage at all."Jamie's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Paityn to reject him outright. She had even cried and begged him previously, expressing a willingness to live in Silvercrest with Carol. Were those ch
Paityn walked down the stairs. A long black limousine was parked in front of the building. As she approached, the driver got out of the car to open the door for her. He politely said, “Mr. Monty has been waiting for you. He truly cares about you.” The driver was referring to Monty Verdan. Earlier that morning, Monty and Paityn had reached a consensus. They would marry. This marriage felt more like a transaction. Paityn needed Monty’s wealth to maintain her image, while he required a presentable wife and her expertise in the new energy development project. Monty would save a substantial amount of expenses by marrying her. Neither of them would be at a loss.Paityn nodded and slid into the back seat of the car. Monty was impeccably dressed. He looked at her with a gaze that held not only admiration for her abilities but also a subtle hint of tenderness. For a man like him, marriage didn’t have to be merely a transaction. He proposed it primarily because he liked Paityn. He
Lorian tilted his head up to look at Tegan, and his gaze was filled with questions. "Since when did Paityn have a fiancé? If Jamie finds out about this, won't he lose his mind?"Tegan bent down to hold the child and responded softly, "I only found out in the past couple of days, and I didn’t know how to tell you. Jamie was planning to sue Paityn, wasn’t he? Isn't this outcome much better?"She had begged Jamie when they were at Lockwood Manor that day, but his heart was as cold as ice. Tegan’s felt despair right there and then, and it must have been even worse for Paityn. After all, the latter was the one who got targeted. That was why when Tegan didn’t object to it when she learned of Monty's existence, even though she was surprised. If there was someone in this world who could protect Paityn and provide her with a stable life, she wouldn’t care who that man was.Tegan might not have cared, but Lorian did. After all, he knew Jamie the best. They are cousins. If Jamie found out th
The atmosphere in the private room suddenly froze. Everyone’s eyes were on Jamie, while his gaze locked onto Paityn and Monty. They were sitting close together and looked every bit like a newlywed couple.Jamie’s voice was cold. “Quite the lively scene. Are you all discussing wedding plans?”Carol saw him and softly called, “Daddy.”That single word brought Jamie back to his senses, keeping him from flipping the table on the spot. Still, his expression remained dark as he walked over and picked up Carol for a hug. Then, he looked icily at Paityn. “Let’s talk alone.”Before Paityn could respond, the rest of the Lockwood family arrived. They saw the scene and immediately understood the situation. Mason paused in surprise. Then, he said to Jamie, “Paityn’s having a family dinner. Whatever you need to discuss can wait. There’s no rush.”Mason greatly admired Paityn and hoped she could become his daughter-in-law.But with Jamie pressuring her into such a quick engagement, how could
The night felt as eerie as a specter.Mason and Zoe did their best to comfort Carol inside the Lockwood Manor. They treated her exactly as they usually did. They didn't give the little one any pressure, and they certainly not probing about Monty in front of her. Adult matters had nothing to do with children.On this chilly spring night, Jamie wore only a thin white shirt as he leaned against the railing of the terrace and smoked. Within half an hour, a small pile of cigarette butts had accumulated on the ground. Jamie calculated the time and turned to extinguish the cigarette. As he made his way downstairs, he put on a jacket.Mason blocked his way on the first floor. “Where are you going?”Jamie didn’t stop his pace, and he replied while opening the front door, “I'm off to find Paityn.”A gust of cold wind blew in, chilling Mason to the bone, and prompting him to curse under his breath. He sneered, “Can’t you wait for even a single night? Who did you inherit this nasty temper
Paityn acknowledged that she had received kindness from Jamie, but she had also suffered because of him. Whenever she was alone, she could remember the scene of Jamie holding Yara, and his gaze was so tender at that moment.Ending peacefully.Jamie seized Paityn's wrist before she could react, and he pushed her against the side of the car. “Jamie!” Paityn exclaimed in alarm.He looked down at her, and his gaze held an inscrutable meaning. Then, he kissed her soft lips, and he even cradled her face as he pressed his lips against hers. That half-forceful kiss made Paityn's legs weak. If Jamie hadn’t supported himself with one leg, Paityn wouldn’t have been able to stay upright.She whimpered, "This isn't right, Jamie."However, Jamie was deaf to her words, and he entangled her more fiercely. Paityn had no choice but to free one hand and slap him across the face with a loud crack.The crisp sound echoed through the night, freezing the air around them. Jamie took a step back, and
A gust of night wind swept through. Paityn felt a chill in the corners of her eyes and found it damp with tears when she touched her face.She stood in the dark and gazed in the direction where Jamie had disappeared, replaying their shared past until she felt as if she were trapped in an ice cave.Then, Paityn's phone rang softly. She looked down and saw it was a call from Monty. After a moment’s hesitation, she picked up, her voice barely above a whisper. “Hi, Monty.”His voice was gentle, warm, and respectful. “We haven’t made it official yet, Paityn. If you find a way out of this, you can still reconsider.”It was strange. Monty had always been a businessman, where matters of true love took a backseat to practicality and self-interest.Today, he was unusually magnanimous in love. Monty even thought that if Paityn changed her mind today, he would help her be with Jamie. That would be a noble deed. In the years to come, he could occasionally think of Paityn. He could remember
Jamie picked up his phone and saw that Paityn had replied. "Sure." Just two words, but they were concise and powerful. However, he read those two words over and over. It felt that Paityn had never been this calm before, not even during their best times. They always seemed to be at odds, and they never allowed each other any happiness. Now that they were apart, they could finally get along peacefully.Jamie tried hard not to think about the fact that Paityn would soon belong to someone else. In the night, he repeatedly savored her text. He read it again and again until he was lost in thought well into the early hours.Meanwhile, Mason peeked through the door before returning to the bedroom. He said to Zoe, “We’ve got a romantic in the house. Hahaha. I really don’t know whether to feel sorry for him or say he deserves it.” Zoe pondered his words thoughtfully.After Jamie took Carol away, Zoe found herself with some free time and decided to look into Monty’s background. Unf