Zoe might have fought with him and wanted a divorce, but she would not do it at the cost of her health. What’s more, she was really hungry. The barley porridge was tasty and easy to swallow. She felt much better after eating a bowl of it. Mason leaned against the wall in front of the window. The dim light from the sky shone on his face, highlighting his handsome features. His neatly trimmed hair and sophisticated attire brought out his elegant charisma. He lit a cigarette but did not smoke it. Sticking his arm out the window, the evening wind scattered the wisp of smoke. There was a faint smell of tobacco in the bedroom that blended perfectly with his aura.He put out the cigarette when she had finished eating the porridge and looked at her, “Grandma called. She wanted to see you. What say you?” Barbara had always been nice to Zoe. She did not have the heart to break her spirit by telling her about their divorce. However, Barbara would find out about it eventually. It was just a
Zoe was slowly coming back to her senses. How could she let it happen? She pushed against him, ducked his kisses, and spoke in a charming, mature tone, “We can’t do this anymore, Mason.”How was he supposed to hold it back now?He pressed his lips on hers and said, “Why can’t we? We’re still a legally married couple.” She was right in his arms. He had held in his desires for a whole night. He was not going to let her go now.Deriving pleasure from her feminine body, he lowered his head and looked at Zoe who was melting at his touch. Every man was mean in a certain way. The more a lady begged, the more they wanted to tease them. Mason was no exception. He lifted her and pressed against her. Training his eyes on her, he said flirtatiously, “You said we can’t do it, but your body is far more honest than your mouth! I wish you could see the look on your face right now, Zoe. You look like such a slut!”Zoe was beyond mad. She said in a husky voice, “Look who’s talking!” With that, h
Zoe came to her senses and realized they were at the crossroads. They stopped in front of a traffic light. Pulling her hand away from Mason’s, she turned her face to the window and said coldly, “It was nothing!”He looked at her dejected face and felt a little disheartened. Images of the past coursed through his mind. He had married Zoe when she was just a twenty-year-old girl. She loved him deeply back then. She would rush downstairs and take his briefcase from him when he came back home from work. She would try to please him, tell him about what was on for dinner, and prepare the bathtub for him.He had always made a point to hurt her when they had sex. Slowly but surely, Zoe began to smile less frequently. She also stopped acting cute around him. It seemed that she had finally accepted the fact that he did not love her. None of her efforts meant anything to him. All she ever got in return was his cold shoulder. She was still thoughtful, but she was merely doing her duty as a
When Zoe went upstairs, Mia was not home. After giving her a call, Zoe found out that Mia did not call Mason. Zoe hung up the phone, speculating that the villa's servant had lied to help her escape. However, she did not dwell on it. It was a rare occasion that she didn't have work tonight, so she took a shower and went to bed early. In her dreams, she recalled her newlywed life with Mason. Yet, in the dream, Mason remained as indifferent as ever, his words filled with impatience. Her phone rang, waking her up. She saw a message from Mason with only a few words. "Don't forget to visit Grandma tomorrow. I'll wait for you at the Imperial Hotel after work." How could Zoe forget? Thinking of Lilith's extravagant fireworks, Zoe immediately accepted the transfer that Mason had included as a fee for her compliance. She donated it to the local animal shelter.At 1:00 AM, Mason's car stopped by the roadside. Leaning back, he scrolled his phone. He had sent Zoe a 3,000-dollar trans
Zoe was quite surprised. Due to the previous issues with Gabriela, Gregory had not treated her very kindly. Just the night before, he had caused trouble for her. Now, he was offering to give her a ride.Zoe instinctively felt that he had ulterior motives. She stepped back, adopting a slightly distant attitude. "Gregory, you promised not to make things difficult for me."Gregory stared at her momentarily before uttering, "I know." With that, he drove away, leaving behind a trail of smoke.…Zoe thought that the matter with Gregory had come to an end. However, that night, she met him again on the 56th floor of the Imperial Hotel. He was sitting with Leslie and the others, but this time, no starlets or models were by his side.When Zoe went on stage, Gregory glanced up. This seemingly casual gesture did not escape Leslie's notice. He casually played a pair of kings, saying, "Gregory, you don't usually come to my place. What's going on today? What brought you here?"Gregory r
"You've got issues. Don't forget, she's someone's wife."…Zoe was alone in the dressing room as she took off the little black dress, revealing her fair body adorned in black lingerie, glowing softly under the dim yellow lights.With a creak, the door swung open. Zoe was startled, immediately covering her chest with a shirt and turning to see who it was. To her surprise, it was Mason.He stared at her, leisurely closing the dressing room door behind him.Zoe bit her lip. "Mason, this is the women's dressing room!"Mason seemed to ignore her words. He walked toward her, removing the shirt from her hands before she could react. Then, with one hand, he pressed her against the dressing room counter, examining her under the lights.This situation made Zoe uncomfortable. Goosebumps covered her body as she trembled slightly. She dared not speak, afraid of attracting others into the room.However, Mason did not do anything else. He just quietly observed her as if they had never been
Lockwood Manor was brightly lit, with servants bustling around, serving various dishes on a large dining table.Barbara personally hovered over everyone, worried that her grandson would not be in good spirits tonight. She even had the kitchen make stew and health tonics.Barbara presented it attentively to Zoe.Barbara chuckled. "I've looked at the charts. I'm sure you'll get pregnant tonight." Even after three years of marriage, Zoe blushed at such intimate talk, especially with several servants standing in the hall.Mason cast a glance at her. Unabashed, he sweet-talked Barbara, "I'll have to put in some effort later to make sure we have a grandchild for you soon, Grandma."Barbara could not stop smiling, as if the chubby great-grandchild were already waving at her. She then served her grandson a bowl of soup, saying, "This soup has been simmering for hours. Drink it while it's hot. It'll boost your stamina."Mason's expression remained unchanged.Zoe thought he was an exp
His tone was mocking. "Zoe, you've become quite assertive now."After saying that, he let go of her and went to take a cold shower. Ten minutes later, Mason emerged from the bathroom. He looked at Zoe, who had spread a thin blanket on the sofa, clearly intending to sleep there for the night.Annoyance welled up inside him. The suppressed anger surged up again. Without thinking, he lifted Zoe and threw her onto the soft bed, pressing down on her.Zoe buried her face in the pillow. Mason had no intention of touching her, as he was still upset. However, just when he was about to let her go, Zoe's phone rang with a text notification.Mason raised an eyebrow. "Who's messaging you at this time?"Still sore from being held down, Zoe replied with a hint of irritation, "It's none of your business."Mason sneered.He pressed down on her delicate shoulders and reached for her phone on the bedside table. Using her fingerprint, he unlocked it. Zoe felt embarrassed. "Mason, you have n
Zion and Gwen's marriage seemed inevitable, with no one putting up any resistance. Occasionally, Gwen even had a strange illusion.It all went so smoothly that the years of separation seemed like they had never happened, as if she and Zion had always been together. After their reunion, he didn’t even ask her about her life abroad and treated her just as he did before.She was no longer as youthful and tender, but Zion still saw her as if she were a 20-year-old girl. Gwen felt a bit dejected, thinking to herself, he must just like girls around 18-year-old.But unfortunately, the spring river flows eastward and cannot return!Zion only smiled.In winter, the days grew shorter. After work, Gwen arrived at Zion's villa, but he had not yet come home. The two housekeepers had already started preparing dinner.When Gwen got out of the car, she received a call from Zion. Her voice was soft and tender.“When will you be back?”On the other end, Zion checked the time and said, “I’ll be
Zion noticed Gwen gazing at him with those wide, expectant eyes again. With a chuckle, he reached into the pocket of his trench coat, pulled out a sleek wallet, and carefully extracted a platinum card. He placed it in her outstretched hand and said with a smile, “This is my secondary card. There’s no credit limit.” Gwen gasped softly, then teased, “Wow, aren’t you generous? Thank you, Teacher Qin.” Zion gave her a light tap on the head. Not missing a beat, Gwen wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned mischievously, “Thank you, my sugar daddy.” Zion’s response was to pull her close, cupping her cheeks as he kissed her fiercely. Though he once carried himself as an educator and now as a refined businessman, he found himself utterly smitten by her playful antics. After the kiss, Zion leaned close to Gwen's ear and murmured something uncharacteristically crude that sent a shiver down her spine. He playfully nipped her nose. “Turns out you’ve got a thing for bad boy
Zion could sense Gwen’s cautiousness and chuckled softly. Then, he cupped her face and planted a firm kiss on her lips. “Don’t worry, I won’t touch you. We agreed to save that for our wedding night. Besides, I just drank last night, so I probably wouldn’t be much use. I want your first time to be special, so I’ll make sure I’m well-prepared.” Gwen’s cheeks turned crimson. She buried her face in his chest, mumbling, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” How peculiar! Back then, even though they were together, their relationship had always been proper and restrained. But now, here they were, sharing a bed, their bodies so intimately close it was both thrilling and embarrassing. Gwen had never experienced this before. Zion seemed to understand her thoughts. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “I haven’t either. Before the wedding night, I’ll make sure to study hard.” Gwen didn’t dare ask how he planned to “study,” though she had a pretty good idea—i
Zion maintained a respectful demeanor and immediately greeted, “Mr. Noah.” Noah, however, didn’t make things difficult for him. He gave a light cough, which could be considered acknowledgment. Then, turning to his youngest daughter, he said, “Go upstairs first. Your mother’s been waiting for you all night; she probably has something to say to you.” Gwen hesitated and didn’t move at first. Zion gently nudged her, his voice soft, “You should go.” Only then did Gwen start to move. But before heading upstairs, she walked over to Noah. As the youngest daughter and the most adept at charming her way out of trouble, she hugged her father. Only then, with visible reluctance, did she head upstairs. Her father’s anger dissipated by more than half after the hug. Watching her go, Noah turned his attention to Zion, his tone calm but firm: “Have a seat. Let’s talk.” Zion immediately sat down and, with practiced ease, poured Noah a cup of tea. Noah feigned irritation and remarked, “
But Gwen was not satisfied.With reddened eyes, she pitifully asked again, "Are you married? Is there someone else by your side? Do you still love me?"As she asked, she was more persistent than before, yet it made the man's heart ache even more.Zion remembered that when they parted ways, Gwen was still an innocent, naive girl. Now, however, she was willing to ask such direct and revealing questions. The braver she became, the more pain he felt in his heart.Zion no longer teased her. He looked into her eyes and answered seriously."No, I'm not married. There's no one else by my side. Her leg healed, and she got married earlier this year. And yes, I still love you. Very much."...Gwen's eyes turned even redder.Her voice trembled as she said, "That doesn't mean I have to be with you. I'm still mad at you."Zion took a step forward and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. It had been five years, and now she had become a teary little kitten. He remembered how
At that moment, Gwen was completely flustered. She didn’t understand what Zion meant, nor did she understand why he was deliberately getting close to her. She wanted to ask, but before she could, Zion had already led her out of the car. The restaurant arranged by the school leadership was nearby, just off campus. Gwen had been there with Zion before, but not in a private room. Returning to an old haunt brought a sense of nostalgia. Zion walked side by side with Gwen. He was six-foot tall, and she was about five-foot-five. They made for a strikingly good-looking pair. Considering their history, the school leaders naturally couldn’t resist teasing them a bit. Gwen felt slightly uncomfortable and replied, "We were young and foolish." Over the years, Zion had grown seasoned in the business world, exuding an effortless charm. He responded with a light smile, "I wonder if we can pick up where we left off—still holding a grudge?" As soon as those words were said, the schoo
After running away in a flurry that night, Gwen retreated into her home, avoiding the world outside for several days. Her father, Noah, meanwhile, busied himself with his new hobby of keeping turtles—purchased on a whim after his wife, Gwynn, teased him for being too old. In an attempt to prove his youth, Noah even released the turtles back into the wild one evening, making a point of marking one with the name "Zion" on its shell in a bold act of petty revenge. Gwynn, ever the pragmatist, found the gesture immature and pointless, but it brought him a fleeting sense of satisfaction. Gwen, however, was unaware of the antics her father had indulged in. All she knew was that her father had been unusually concerned during her self-imposed seclusion, urging her to get out and take a break. Noah's insistence that she shouldn’t remain cooped up at home was an attempt to draw her back into the world, to reconnect with life. But she couldn’t shake the weight of everything that had transp
In the lounge, Gwen curled up in Tegan’s embrace, crying silently. Tegan gently stroked her smooth black hair, sighing softly. “If you really like him, I’ll help you talk to him.”Gwen sobbed quietly, “Dad will say you’re being rebellious.”Tegan paused for a moment, then replied, “Your brother will help me, won’t he?”Gwen clung to Tegan, continuing to cry softly. She remembered that today was Yeager’s full moon celebration and decided to cry for just a little while. After all, who hasn’t shed tears in their youth?At that moment, there was a knock at the door. From the sound of it, the person outside had a very refined aura. Tegan immediately guessed who it was; it certainly wasn’t her husband. She gently rubbed Gwen’s head. “I’ll go answer it.”When Tegan opened the door, as expected, it was Zion standing outside. The two locked eyes, and after a moment of silence, Tegan calmly spoke, “You two talk.” Zion nodded.In the quiet lounge, the soft sound of Gwen’s crying fill
The following August. It was the party for Ocelotte and Molly's child. Molly had given birth to a boy, named Yeager Sanders, a name chosen by her eldest brother-in-law, Lorian. She was very fond of the name. As for Lorian and Tegan's youngest son, he was named Fergus Sanders. Yeager and Fergus were the next generation of boys in the Sanders family. However, the first child was still Lola, the one and only little princess. She loved following Gwen around. The little girl was now three and a half years old and about to start kindergarten. On the day of Yeager's party, Gwen was still taking Lola around, but she unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance. It had truly been a long time. Since the year Zion had left for another country, although they had occasionally bumped into each other, they hadn’t had the chance for a proper meeting. How many years had passed? Gwen didn't dare to think about it, nor did she want to calculate. She vaguely felt it had been four