Zoe responded to him in an equally soft voice, “What do you want me to say?”Mason pulled her closer and tightened his grip so much that he almost hurt her. “You’re supposed to ask me why I didn’t go into the mansion!”“Well. Why didn’t you?” Before he could respond, she said, “You didn’t used to be this difficult, Mason! You have the freedom to attend the party or otherwise. I can’t be minding your feelings all the time. I can’t spend all my time guessing if what I do is going to make you upset! It’s just going to wear us out if we do it that way.”There. She finally said it!However, she regretted it a little afterward. She said meekly, “Mason…”He didn’t give her the chance to regret her words.Releasing her hand, he turned his back to the window and allowed the dark thoughts to overtake his mind. His voice was even softer than the gentle night. “It’s very hard to love you sometimes, Zoe!”She was just standing right in front of him. All it took was a step and she could’v
David apologized to Zoe from the bottom of his heart. In his mind, he had broken a promise because he fell in love with that young girl. Holding the documents, she said joyfully, “This information is what mattered most to me, David! I’ll chalk anything else up to fate!”“You got that right! It is fate!” David smiled dryly, even a little bitterly, but he didn’t say anything. After dinner, he walked with her to the parking lot.Zoe was wearing a pair of high heels and she didn’t notice a hole on the ground. She staggered a little when she stepped into it.Almost without thinking, David held her waist, trying to support her. Touching her jogged his memory and threw him to the past, which was evident by the affection in his eyes. He said, “I hope the information I gave you is going to help Mason recover a little faster.”Smiling warmly, she said, “Thank you, David. See you soon.”David opened the car door for her like the gentleman that he was. A night breeze blew past him and he
Mason rejected her advice.Looking at her quietly, he said, “I’m perfectly calm now. I don’t need your pity, Zoe, and I certainly don’t appreciate being treated like a charity case. I want you to leave!”She froze where she stood and asked him softly, “Why would you say something like this?!”He didn’t respond to her immediately. Instead, he stared at her intensely. After a long time, he took a cigarette out of his front pocket with trembling fingers and lit it with his one good hand.Instead of smoking it, he lowered his head and watched as the wisps of smoke lingered in the air.After a long time, he said meekly, “Haven’t you always wanted to know if I was aware that you were pregnant with Jamie a couple of years back? Well, I was! Ava gave me your pregnancy test result on the day you left. “She told me that you were pregnant and that you were flying back to Silvercrest. She also said that I should chase after you and win you back… Do you know how I felt at that moment, Zoe?
Zoe didn’t cry or weep. After all, she was the mother of two children now. As she said, once she left, she was never coming back. She’d still look after Mason, but she’d keep a distance from him.Her silver Rolls-Royce pulled out of his manor slowly.Mason was sitting in the study. He watched quietly as her car drove off into the distance. She left!He was so harsh to her that she actually left! Truth be told, he knew just how cruel he had been to her last night. He intended to light up a cigarette, but his hand was trembling so much that he couldn’t do it. In a fit of fury, he snapped it in half.Then, he wheeled himself to the guest room. The place was all cleaned up and tidied as if she had never been there. Returning to the master bedroom, he realized she had changed the bedsheet. There was a lingering warm smell of ironed clothes in the fitting room. He used to love that smell. On top of that, his medicines were lined up neatly.There was a thin necklace on top of a
Tears started to fill Mason’s eyes. Ava, who was standing at the side, had heard about what happened earlier today from the servants downstairs. So, she seized the opportunity and said, “The misunderstanding has been cleared up. You can go ahead and take Zoe back now, Mr. Mason!”He didn’t say anything. Pulling out the thin necklace from his pocket, he looked at it affectionately and touched it gently. There was no way his assistant would understand him. How was he supposed to take her back now?Given his current condition, they’d just fight again even if they managed to cross this hurdle. More to the point, Zoe wouldn’t return. That was what she said when she left. She’d never come back once she left. However, he still did nothing while she walked out of his manor.Ava was growing a little impatient when he said dryly, “Make an appointment with David! I need to thank him in person.”Flat out of options, she did his bidding.…Mason met David in the same hotel around thre
Luke turned the car around without further prompting and drove straight towards Zoe’s manor. He said, “It’s almost time for dinner now. You could always grab a bite there, Mr. Mason. I know that you love Mia’s cooking.”“Don't overstep your station!”Raising the car window, Mason leaned back on the leather seat. He was mulling over what he should say to Zoe when he saw her later. They had broken up for less than ten hours, but it had been long and torturing enough for him. His black Rolls-Royce pulled into Zoe’s manor slowly.Opening his car door, he saw darkness streaking across the evening sky. Like Luke said, it was just about time for dinner. He could almost smell the delicious odor from the kitchen. Yanni was playing catch with Jamie on the lawn. The moment she saw her dad’s car, she was beside herself with joy and yelled, “Daddy!”She took two huge steps forward before remembering her little brother. Then, she turned around, carried him, and scampered over to her dad with
Zoe encouraged her little girl affectionately. Standing underneath the crystal chandelier, her long dress complimented her darling figure as well as her ample breasts. She had tied up her long, black hair, revealing her fair neck.In his mind, she had always been warm and beautiful. She may have been extremely successful with her businesses, but he could never find anything fierce about her. He lost track of time, staring at her. She unwittingly met his gaze and saw that he was staring at her profoundly. At the next moment, she turned her head away nonchalantly.…It was ten in the night by the time he left her manor.Zoe came downstairs to see him off. He wheeled himself to his black Rolls-Royce, but he didn’t get into it. He asked quietly, “Are the kids sleeping?”“Yes,” she responded.The night was quiet and they were left alone. He stared at her for a long time before he said softly, “I found the document you left behind and sent them to the lab. I read your letter too.”At that
As luck would have it, Zoe sensed his stare and looked at him. She wasn’t exactly perturbed, but she did stand a little straighter when she saw him. The man in front of her looked at Mason too. Mason’s eyes grew darker. He ordered Ava, “Take me to her!”Ava wheeled him and stopped when they were one step away from Zoe. Naturally, she greeted her with enthusiasm. “It’s been a long time, Zoe!”Zoe rested her gaze on Mason and smiled faintly, “Indeed!”The man asked her, “Who’s this fine man, Ms. Zoe?”She had nothing to hide. “This is Mason! He’s the director of Lockwood Corporation and my ex-husband. This lady here is Ava. She’s Mason’s assistant, and a very capable one at that.”The way she introduced them was very formal.The man in front of her was Saül. He had just come back from overseas and was interested in making a huge investment. She was trying to get him to invest in The One Gourmet. Little did she know she’d run into Mason here.Saül was a polite man. Bowing sli
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
After Yanni finished speaking, the Sanders family stood frozen in shock. It was Gwynn who recovered first, quickly asking Yanni, “How is Molly doing?” Yanni smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Aunt Gwynn. Molly is fine, just a bit overwhelmed. I think the baby came as a surprise. Ocelotte is with her right now.” Before Gwynn could respond, Noah muttered under his breath, “A surprise is great! A surprise is wonderful.” Although the young couple’s relationship was excellent, what parent wouldn’t hope for grandchildren? And with Ocelotte and Molly’s stunning looks, the baby was bound to be exceptional. The mere thought of it had Noah brimming with excitement. He silently speculated that it was definitely going to be an adorable little girl. Definitely just like Molly.After a while, Ocelotte emerged, carrying Molly in his arms. She had regained her strength after sipping some sweetened water but was advised to rest for a few days at home. Moreover, during the first trimeste
Over half a year later, in the golden autumn of October. The film "Scarlet Dreams, Jade Skies", starring Molly, achieved a blockbuster box office success and earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the prestigious Golden Bear Awards. On the night of the ceremony, the entire Sanders family showed up to cheer Molly on. Tegan, worried she might feel pressured, kept comforting her, saying, “It’s okay if you don’t win this time. There’s always next time.” Molly was deeply moved. Tegan had just finished her postpartum recovery and yet still came to support her. Looking at Ocelotte, Molly whispered, “I’ve already won the biggest award of my life, Tegan.” Usually composed, Tegan was amused by her and replied gently, “You’ve been much more lively since hanging out with Ocelotte! Your big brother thinks it’s great. He always praises Ocelotte for being so caring.” Molly felt a little shy and leaned in closer to chat softly with Tegan. Gwen handed over a piece of candy and qu
Molly spent the most joyful holidays of her life.In early spring, she married Ocelotte. Her wedding veil was an impressive three meters long, as the elders said that the longer the veil, the longer the marriage. So, Ocelotte had a three-meter-long veil designed for her.He said he wanted to be with her for three lifetimes and more.As the bells of the church rang, Molly, holding onto Lorian’s arm, slowly walked toward Ocelotte. From that moment on, they were one, bound together not only as a couple but as a family. His loved ones were now hers, and they would share both joy and hardship.The few meters between them felt like the culmination of the four years they had spent together.At the altar, Lorian handed Molly to his younger brother and gave his shoulder a gentle pat. "Take good care of her," he said.Ocelotte took a step forward, gazing at Molly through the delicate veil. Today, she looked like a pure white jasmine flower.Ocelotte gently lifted the veil, wanting her t