Gwynn shook him off and uttered, “I don’t need it!”He was the one who had been rough with her. Now, he was pretending to be taking care of her. Why even bother?!She left without any hesitation.Noah sat alone on the couch, smelling the lingering body odor left in the air in the private lounge. It did nothing but leave a hollow sensation in his heart. …He had a bad feeling about what was going to happen to his family and it wasn’t exactly unfounded. Three days later, something terrible happened. Lorian went missing. Noah rushed home the second he learned about it through a phone call. Worried that her CEO might get into a car accident in his current state, Kim went with him. The moment Gladys saw him, she fell on her knees, wiped her tears, and said, “I took Lorian out for a stroll and ran into a friend. We were just chatting when someone snatched him away from the stroller! I didn’t leave his side, Mr. Noah, I swear. All I did was talk to my friend a little!”The old
The car’s headlights drew closer from afar.Noah stepped out of the car swiftly, wiped the rain off his face, and walked over to her. “Gwynn.” He caught her hands and realized that they were bleeding profusely. Rainwater poured into his throat as he spoke. “Wait for me in the car! I’ll look for Lorian!”She shook his hand off violently.She shuffled to another dumpster. There was no time to lose. She kept mumbling her son’s name all the time. “Lorian… Lorian…” However, she hadn’t gotten a couple of steps away before he grabbed her arms again. Wiping rainwater from his face again, he uttered sternly, “You’re going to kill yourself. Get in the car! Lorian’s my son too. I’ll do my best and find him!”“You’re not his father! You’re a heartless monster!” With that, she swung her hands and gave him another slap.Taking a step back, she glared at him and screamed hysterically, “What’s the point of me clinging to life if Lorian’s gone? Listen up, Noah. Lorian matters more to me than
"Don’t pass out, Lorian! You can’t fall asleep!Please listen to me, sweetie. You can’t pass out…"…It was the middle of the night. The lights in the Lockwood Hospital’s emergency department were all lit. Aside from hypothermia, the filthy water from the trash had gone into Lorian's lungs and infected them. Suffice to say, he was in critical condition. Zoe, Mason, and Mia made their way to the hospital. Zoe brought Gwynn some fresh clothes and asked her to get changed, but the latter was in no mood to do that. In the end, Zoe had to pull her away and make her wash herself up before helping her change. The doctors were still doing everything they could to save the little boy. Later, the chief doctor came out and told Mason that things weren’t looking good for Lorian. Mason simply gawked at him for several seconds.Then, he made a phone call. “Hi, Sam. It’s me, Mason! An infant with a lung infection is in your hospital now. The situation is looking grim and I know you’re
'Oh, my sweet boy. I don’t have much time, but I’m going to spend whatever’s left of my life, clearing out a path for you in the future. No one’s going to hurt or scare you anymore.' All of a sudden, Noah's phone rang.Noah stood by the window and answered the call. It was Kim. She had worked all night and her voice had turned hoarse. “I found Gianna, Mr. Noah!”He responded tersely, “Send me the location!” The moment he hung up the call, there was a beep. Kim had sent him the location. Noah checked it before tucking his phone away. Raising his eyes, he met Gwynn’s gaze. She said softly, “Don’t forget what you promised me. Gianna has to pay!”Then, she shifted her gaze and rested her eyes on Lorian. He responded, “Leave it to me! I’ll see it done!”…Walking out of room 1004, he saw Kim waiting for him right outside. She walked side by side with him and said, “I think she’s doing it on purpose! She exposed herself so you’d find her, Mr. Noah.”She added, “I’ve reported
“I used to think you truly loved me, to some extent.“I started dreaming of becoming your wife.“Just when I was about to get everything I’ve worked for, you went ahead and took everything back! You burned our bridges because Gwynn saw us doing it! What about my sacrifices? What about my unborn baby and my compromised body? Who am I supposed to settle the score with?”…Gianna threw stacks of her medical bills in the air, letting them fall onto the floor. Throwing her head back, she laughed with tears in the corner of her eyes. She was definitely ruthless and tried to kill Lorian. That much was true. However, it was all because Noah did wrong by her!He loosened his grip and took a step back. About half an hour later, he walked out of the suite, wearing a grim expression. Kim was right by the door, waiting to give the order to seize Gianna. To her surprise, he raised his hand to stop her. Glancing at her, he said calmly, “Tell everyone downstairs that it was just a big misu
Gwyn blinked slowly.She thought she heard him wrong. Her voice was hoarse as she said, “Care to run that by me again, Noah?”“Can you spare Gianna if I give you this document?”He had barely said it when her hand fell and slapped him hard across his face. She put so much force behind it that it actually hurt her hand. Her ears were ringing as well. Silence hung over the ward. The only thing she could hear was their heavy breathing. She was at a loss for words. After a brief moment, she finally found her voice and said, “Lorian is your son, Noah! That skank almost killed him. Are you seriously using this document to save her? Does she mean so much to you? Is Liam’s life so worthless you need to use it to spare someone like her?”Any mother would’ve been sickened by this outcome. He promised he’d do right by her when he left and this is what he ended up doing. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She said softly, “I’ve long lost any hopes and expectations of you and our marriage,
Gwynn flashed him a bleak smile.Did he just say he cared for her? What a joke. It had got to be the best joke she had ever heard. She turned away and left without a moment’s hesitation. Reaching out, he tried to grab her arms, but his hands merely closed around the air.…Zoe dropped by the hospital and checked on Lorian. Noah was away at work for some urgent business, leaving Gwynn and Gladys to take care of the little boy in the ward.Given his condition, he spent most of his time sleeping. Gwynn’s face was pale and she didn’t look well either, which worried Zoe. So, she asked the old servant about it when she got the chance. Needless to say, Gladys knew about the entire story. “At first, Mr. Noah said he was going to make things right for Ms. Gwynn by putting Gianna behind bars for twenty to thirty years. I’m not sure why, but he changed his mind after he met up with that homewrecker.“I think he gave Ms. Gwynn some sort of important document in exchange for Gianna’s l
Mason responded, “Okay. I’ll see that it’s done!”The traffic light turned green and the traffic moved along. Gripping the steering wheel, he said lightly, “You should give Noah a call when you have the chance! Ask him to be with his family more and stop attending to other business. Gwynn might be Liam’s younger sister, but she was his wife. She even gave birth to Lorian. This isn’t the kind of bond he could just cut off.”At the end of the day, it took a man to know a man. Mason could just tell that Noah loved Gwynn from the bottom of his heart. Otherwise, the former wouldn’t have let the latter give birth to his son. Zoe leaned back on the leather seat. She was so dispirited that she couldn’t bring herself to say anything further. He cupped her hands in his is, giving her some warmth while maintaining a solemn face. …That night, he made the arrangements for Gwynn to do a full body checkup. The nurse walked over to room 1004 in the middle of the night. Noah was there too
In the evening, Gwen was preparing to leave work.In the parking lot, she spotted Zion’s car, but it was empty. Just then, a school leader passed by and said to her, “Zion came to school. There’s a donation ceremony happening in the auditorium. You should go check it out. "Then, you two can head home together afterward. On a cold day like this, a nice dinner would be perfect. What a cozy idea!”Gwen playfully replied, “You really know how to enjoy life.”The leader, holding a bag of groceries, laughed, “See? Your teacher’s wife has been nagging me since morning to go home and cook while babysitting the grandkids.”Gwen smiled softly, watching him leave.In the sky, clouds glowed orange and yellow, their edges tinged with gold.She carried a thermos as she walked toward the auditorium. Along the way, a few students noticed her and started chirping excitedly, cheekily calling her “Ms. Gwen.”Gwen corrected them, “It’s Ms. Gwen.”The students laughed and teased, “Ms. Gwen! Mr. Z
Gwen stared dazedly at the man.Zion, dressed in a black coat, stood tall in the study, exuding an oppressive aura. He walked toward her and pulled the teary-eyed girl, her face streaked like a little tabby cat, into his arms. One hand gently smoothed her hair as his voice softened to the extreme, "Still saying you didn’t cry."Gwen leaned against his shoulder, mumbling, "You did it on purpose.""Are you at least a little touched?"She pounded on him twice more in response.Zion chuckled lowly, letting the girl vent while his heart ached silently.These past five years had been filled with fear and uncertainty for him. He had been afraid that before he could make a name for himself, Gwen would fall for someone else. If that happened, what could he possibly use to ask her to come back to him?The love story of a poor boy and a rich girl might've existed in novels, but the reality was often harsh.Gwen didn’t care, but he couldn’t bear to let her endure hardship.Now, as they
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