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
Half an hour later, Jamie's car stopped in front of the Lockwood Corporation building. He was single, but he brought Carol to work. Meanwhile, rumor had it that Paityn was going to marry Monty. Who wouldn’t want to be the ready-made stepmother? As a result, all the young unmarried female employees came over with little toys and snacks to charm Carol. Some were subtly flirting, while others were quite bold. Wylie couldn’t stand it and directly chased them away. Jamie didn’t care much. He was buried in his work, occasionally patting Carol's head.“Please ask Augustus to come over and draft a property transfer agreement.” Wylie looked at Carol and smiled. The latter's dad, mom, and stepdad were all CEOs. She wasn't born with a silver spoon. Nay, she was born with a golden spoon.Wylie immediately went to handle it. Soon, the lawyer, Augustus Hicks, arrived. Jamie clearly valued him. He intentionally got up to sit on the sofa and even waved to Carol. “Come here and greet
Jamie finished work and left with Carol in the evening. As soon as they came downstairs, he was greeted by a pleasant floral fragrance. Then, a gentle breeze blew, and it felt soft and warm. A branch of hawthorn extended over the black Bentley. It was white as snow and quite beautiful.Carol reached out to try to touch it, but her short arms couldn’t reach it. With a simple snap, Jamie easily picked one and placed a small white flower in her palm. Carol exclaimed, "Wow!" She was so overjoyed that she even gave her dad a sniff of it. Jamie's heart softened further.As they got into the car, Carol sweetly said in a soft voice, “Dad, I want to eat baby food. Larissa said other kids often go eat baby food with their mommies and daddies, and Carol wants to go too.”At that moment, Jamie felt that he would do anything for Carol. He would even pluck the moon from the sky if she wanted. “Sure.” He fastened his seatbelt and indulgently agreed. Ten minutes later, the car stopped in
Jamie turned and walked into the restaurant. Paityn composed herself and smiled softly at Monty, “You go change into your clothes. Let me see if they fit. If not, there’s still time to make alterations.” Monty was a considerate man. He took a tissue and gently wiped away her tears. Looking at her delicate features stirred up something in his heart. He loved Paityn. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be thinking about marriage. Paityn looked up. As they locked eyes, there was a magnetic pull between them. It was a kind of acceptance that seemed to say they could endure anything together. Even after they parted ways some time down the road, Paityn still believed that Monty was a very suitable man for marriage.Monty followed the waiter to the changing room. His phone rang just after he had put on his formal shirt and trousers. He saw that it was his son, Howard Verdan, calling, and he answered quickly. The child’s frantic voice came through. “Dad, Mom has fainted.” Monty’s heart sank.