“Noah managed to rally Graham to his side and do his dirty work.“I have to say that he’s extraordinarily cunning! He must have some dirt on Courtney. I’m willing to bet that he knows about some humiliating secrets. So, she had no choice but to persuade her husband to take Noah’s side.”…It just so happened that Noah was looking their way. Gwynn turned her head sideways. She said to Marisol, “He has always been ruthless.”The latter nodded, agreeing with her sentiment. At that moment, a server came in with a sumptuous fruit platter. She laid it down on the coffee table and said, “This is from Mr. Noah. I’ll also bring some snacks over in a minute.”Gwynn wanted to reject it, but Marisol accepted it. Once the server left, the latter said, “You’ll be playing into his ego if you reject it! It’s best to act as if you’re unfazed in situations like this. Make him guess what you’re thinking. Send a message to him that paltry gestures such as this are nothing in your eyes. After al
Noah didn’t do anything to her. Her lean wrists were tied up and she was helplessly in his embrace. She couldn’t move at all, nor did she have any intention to call for her help. Her sleeping gown was pulled open, after all.He lay on top of her. There was a glint in his eyes as he stared at her with the glow from the moonlight. After a long time, he leaned into her chest. He was a tall, burly man while Gwynn was slender and petite. That didn’t stop him from leaning on her shoulder. He wouldn’t have shown this vulnerable side of him under normal circumstances. However, he was intensely fearful now. He had always been confident and sure of himself. The way he saw it, Gwynn could never leave him for real regardless of how much she fought back. After all, he wielded power and influence. There are a lot of ways for him to restrict her freedom.Still, life threw him a curve ball. Seemingly out of the blue, she found her real father and family: Archibald and the Templetons.The ol
After a brief moment, Noah said, “Where would you like to meet?”Archibald chuckled faintly. “Let’s do it at my villa. I don’t like to talk about my family affairs at work. Moreover, people could be listening in to our conversation. We certainly don’t want that!”Noah hung up the phone. Lowering his head, he cupped his face and asked Kim. “I’ve lost the battle, haven’t I?”Kim didn’t say anything for a long time.Leaning back on the leather chair, he looked at her and said, “Everyone’s being respectful and fearful of Archibald! Why would anyone stand up to him and take my side publicly? I actually think they’re all secretly selling away my company’s stocks!”Then, he added, “See to it that every stock they sold is bought back under my name. Use my personal funds!”She didn’t think it was a good idea. He lit a cigarette. “I’ve lost my pride. I can’t lose my company! I have no use for my wealth. The Sanders Group is the only thing that matters now. I have to save it even if it’
Noah smiled dryly in response. After all, history was always written by the victors!Archibald was truly a formidable and cunning opponent. He had crushed Noah with constant pressure for a whole month. Now, it seemed the old man was going to dangle a reward in front of him!As expected, the old man wanted him to divorce Gwynn. Then, he’d be rewarded with a large-scale renewable energy project in the northern part of the country. This single project could very well revive his dying company.He listened to Archibald patiently. Then, he said softly, “I’ll agree to divorce Gwynn! However, I respectfully reject your offer of the project! I was able to rebuild my company from the ground up after I got out of jail. I can do it all over again.”Archibald looked at him sharply. Sneering, he said, “Do you think you’re still a young man?!”He ignored the sarcasm in the old man’s tone. He stood up slowly. The fact was that he had thought long and hard about it before he came here. He
The next afternoon, Noah was already at the Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau by the time Gwynn arrived. He was smoking in the car. He didn’t put any hair gel on his hair and his clothes weren’t as fresh as they were last night. His eyes were bloodshot, giving him a miserable look. He stared at her through the window, his eyes filled with nothing but longing.After a long time, he extended his arm and opened the car door. Then, he walked into the building with her. She said softly, “Honestly, we don’t have to show up in person! You have a lawyer for this. He’s the one who has been handling things for us!” He stared at her profoundly. Perhaps it was because they were about to sign the divorce papers. In any case, she seemed so delighted to be talking to him. He was kind of surprised that she spoke this much too. He had begged her to talk to him in the past. Hell, he even tried to force words out of her by thrusting into her roughly when they were in bed, but she just wouldn’t
“You’re right, Noah! You’ve regained your freedom, now that we’re divorced.“Gianna is still waiting for you to go back to her side.”…With that, she shut the car door with a bang, not caring if it might’ve slammed on his fingers in the process.The thought of Gwen brought tears to her eyes. She hated Noah’s guts. At the next moment, her white BMW rushed past him and crushed the jewelry box. He picked it up, brushed off the mangled pieces, and took the pink diamond ring out. The ring was fine, but it was no longer the same ring that fitted snugly on her finger. It was twisted out of shape. He stared at it quietly. His heart hurt more every time it throbbed.…A week later, he left the Sanders Group headquarters in the middle of the night. His once reputable company was facing bankruptcy. There was a stock halt. Noah mortgaged away nearly all of his properties and luxurious cars. That was the only way he could protect the company, even though it was a husk of its for
The soup Gianna brought over was spilled on the lobby floor. Lowering his head, he looked at it for a while before he picked up the soup container and tossed it into the trash can by the door. He didn’t need a woman to take pity on him. After that, he kept drinking himself into a stupor. He’d call out to Gwynn once he woke up from it. Sometimes, he’d even dream about the moment when they met each other for the first time.This time, however, he woke up from his drunken stupor and saw Emma. She was wiping sweat from his forehead. Her head was lowered and she spoke softly, as she usually did. “You kept calling out to ‘Gwynn,’ Mr. Noah. Is she someone you love?”For a minute there, he wasn’t completely sobered up. After a brief moment, he said in a husky voice, “She’s my wife.”She got bold and asked, “Why don’t you go home, then?”He looked dazed when he heard the question. After a while, he pulled out a cigarette from his front pocket, lit it up, and smoked it leisurely.
Noah didn’t manage to find his voice until after a brief moment. “Are you dating him?”Gwynn didn’t deny it. Nodding lightly, she said, “My family recommended him to me. We’ve just had dinner together.”After that, she took her coat from the sophisticated man and bade farewell to him. The man had a good idea who Noah was. However, he didn’t ask her about it. Instead, he took a step back with dignity and flashed her a faint smile. Clearly, he liked her enough to want to have another date with her. Then, Gwynn drove off in her white BMW.The man left too. Noah stood on the street in the dead of night. The neon lights and the escort standing next to him accentuated his misery and the fact that he had lost everything. That was right!The fact was that he had lost everything. He proceeded to dry heave by the roadside, his mind flooded with memories from a much simpler time. “I’ll go to Silvercrest with you, Noah.”“You can’t tell anyone that you’re my husband once we’
In the presidential suite, the newlywed night was fiery, filled with affection and intimacy. The wedding banquet was still bustling with excitement.There was a special guest, who quietly arrived and hoped to leave just as quietly. He was afraid to disturb her mood and feared that if she saw him, she might not be pleased. However, despite his best efforts, they still crossed paths in the hallway.Gael stood quietly, watching Yanni. She had just taken Ella to the restroom, as she wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone. Besides Ella, there was another small girl with her, probably one of the twins she had with Keaton. The other twin was her brother.The twins were named Shay Bright and Drew Bright. Ella adored her younger siblings. Whenever she came home from school, she would always spend some time playing with them first. At night, she would sneak her little sister into her room and cuddle her to sleep, treating her like a little doll.At first, Yanni was quite worried, but she lat
In the early morning, the first rays of sunlight bathed the earth, signaling a joyous occasion at the Sanders family home. The youngest daughter of Noah and Gwynn was finally getting married. Even more delightful, she was marrying her childhood love. Dressed in a headpiece and red bridal gown, she was as beautiful as could be, the most stunning woman Zion had ever seen.The Quarto family was busy with preparations. Although they were not extremely wealthy, Jordyn was a capable family head with a good reputation. He handled both inside and outside affairs with finesse and charm. To everyone’s surprise, he got along very well with Mason.However, Noah had some reservations. “Don't you have any relatives of your own, Mason?”Mason didn’t engage with his criticism. Together with Zoe, they helped with the wedding arrangements. A traditional Chinese wedding was far more elaborate than a Western one, but thankfully, the families had enough help to avoid any chaotic moments.During the d
That night, Jamie and Paityn returned home with their daughter Carol. As soon as they arrived, Carol went to do her homework, while Paityn went to check on their youngest son, Colten Lockwood. The housekeeper was taking care of him and, upon hearing footsteps, turned her head and softly said, "Madam, you're back? He hasn't woken up at all, he's such a good boy."Paityn smiled lightly and signaled for the housekeeper to go downstairs and rest.When the door closed, she looked down at the sleeping Colten. The little one, only eight months old, resembled his father completely; almost like a miniature copy of Jamie. Even Carol, at times, would look at her brother’s face and marvel: "It’s really a masterpiece from God!"Jamie replied, "You even know what a masterpiece is?"Carol teased, "A husband’s looks are the wife’s glory!"Paityn quietly said to Jamie, “She must have seen a supermodel runway show."Jamie immediately asked, "Did she like it?"Paityn didn't answer, just smiled.
On the second floor, Gwen was trying on her wedding dress for tomorrow. Just as Zion had wished, it was a traditional Zutriysteinian wedding.The red wedding gown was crafted by the top artisans from Zutriystein, elegant and dignified. The headpiece she wore was adorned with wild pearls; each gem was carefully embedded, and the headpiece alone cost tens of millions. A substantial amount of money had been spent.The woman in the mirror was stunningly beautiful. Gwen gently touched her headpiece and muttered to herself, "Zion really doesn’t mind spending money on this little hobby of his."Gwynn, as a mother, patted her head. "This little girl really doesn’t know when to keep quiet, but luckily, she’s married well and is right here beside me..."She had given a generous wedding gift, exactly the same as when Holly got married. Like Holly, Gwen didn’t want any shares of the Sanders Group. The money that Zion earned was enough to support both of them and his small hobbies.Meanwhile
Ignacio said, "We can’t take care of both of you."Holly was at a loss for words.Lucius was at that lively age, but he was raised by his father and had good manners. When he saw Ocelotte, he respectfully greeted him, saying, "Second Uncle."Ocelotte patted his little head, thinking that the boy seemed sturdier than his own children, possibly because Molly was too fragile. He made a mental note to make sure Yeager got some extra nutrients when he went back.The black Rolls-Royce Phantom sped down the highway, getting them back to the Qiao family mansion before evening.The Sanders family’s sons had all moved out, leaving only Gwen still living at home. Holly, who rarely came back, was also staying at the house. She didn’t refuse, planning to stay for a few days before heading to Silvercrest to visit her biological parents and pay respects.The car pulled into the Sanders Residence, and the house was lit up brightly.In the courtyard parking area, luxury cars were parked everywhe
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