Kendrick couldn't help but laugh after listening. "Don't worry, I wouldn't let anyone kidnap me again, and I would try to make them kidnap both of us, so that we can take care of each other."Knowing that he was joking, Annabelle still got angry and turned around to hit him, but her little hand was caught.Then Kendrick sat up, thinking he was going to play a trick again. Annabelle got scared and tightly wrapped herself in the blanket. However, to her surprise, he got off the bed and picked her up along with the blanket."Hello Kendrick!""I'll show you the snow outside, it was already very thick."He carried Annabelle to the window, placing her on the window sill, and held her from behind.Annabelle looked out of the window and saw that the earth was covered in a silver-white blanket, completely silent and still.She quietly watched the snow, her whole self being small, curled up in Kendrick's chest."Can you accompany me to see the snow this year, but maybe not next year? You are so
Annabelle looked at Kendrick with a puzzled expression on her face."When did you use my card? How come I didn't know?"The key is, she didn't have that much money anymore, it had all been drained by Kendrick.Kendrick no longer hid from her and explained everything honestly.Before, she and Fabian were photographed on their way back to the apartment by someone. Actually, the photographer didn't blackmail them because the person taking the photos was Jax. At that time, Jax made Annabelle transfer 80 thousand dollars to him as a warning punishment.After hearing his words, Annabelle, who had always been a woman of words rather than actions, became so angry that she clenched her fist and turned around to hit Kendrick."You clearly had so much money, did you not feel guilty for bullying a young girl?"This time, Mr. Gregory didn't dodge and took a solid little punch, although it didn't hurt much."I was also reminding you to be cautious in your words and actions in the future. If those k
Annabelle is now clever; she avoids confronting Kendrick directly and instead employs indirect tactics.After a while, Kendrick said, "As for boxing, let's wait until your eyes are better, but I can be the one to teach you.""..."Is this the legendary, damn possessiveness...Annabelle didn't achieve her wish, so she silently deducted five points from him in her heart.After chatting for a while, Annabelle had already recovered from her unpleasant dream and her mood had returned to calm. However, tiredness quickly came over her.In no time, she couldn't open her eyes in Kendrick's arms.Kendrick put her back on the bed, and that night, she slept soundly in Kendrick's arms.I slept until nine o'clock in the morning, so soundly that I didn't even realize it.There was a message from Kendrick in the phone. He had already gone to the company. Breakfast was in the microwave in the kitchen, so she could heat it up and eat it when she woke up.He didn't come home at noon, but he will come ba
"Annabelle! You're back?" Ariana greeted her from the driver's seat.In the passenger seat was her younger sister, Annabelle, who looked familiar but she couldn't remember.Annabelle smiled at them and nodded."Annabelle, did you just finish shopping?" the girl in the passenger seat asked.Annabelle was very sensitive to sounds. As soon as the other person spoke, she remembered. This girl was from the Fritz family, and her name seemed to be Livia Fritz.That time, she was tricked by her brother Raphael into going to Stellar Bar, where she unexpectedly ran into Kendrick, who was attending a friend's birthday party.Kendrick took her to greet his friends, who were in a private room at the KTV. Ariana invited her to sing together, but a wealthy girl made a sarcastic comment, saying she was from the mountains and probably hadn't heard any popular songs.That wealthy lady's last name is Fritz, which is the one standing in front of us.Okay, if the angelic bitch doesn't come, she doesn't co
Livia's face turned red, and she didn't say a word."Alright, Livia, stop talking nonsense. Ken wouldn't abandon Annabelle!" Ariana scolded the little sister.Livia, feeling a bit embarrassed and angry because she said the wrong thing, curled her lips and said, "I thought the woman Ken liked had to be someone like Ariana, with a high education, high intelligence, capable of managing both social and domestic affairs, and even able to drive a race car. That's what suits Ken's taste!"She was actually standing up for herself. Back then, she was very proud and liked Kendrick, but she didn't want to take the initiative. By the time she wanted to take the initiative, Kendrick was already married. Therefore, Livia always felt unjustly treated. If she had taken the initiative back then, there wouldn't have been any Annabelle's affair.Ariana blushed and said, "Stop talking nonsense, you quickly get in the car."After Livia got in the car, Ariana said to Annabelle, "Annabelle, I'm sorry, this
Marvin took a deep look at Annabelle, her angry appearance, not like she was going to have a meal with Kendrick, but more like she was going to settle scores with him.It seems that their relationship was not repaired.But Marvin didn't ask further questions, he helped her carry the shopping bags and put them in the car, and then he helped her open the passenger door.After the car started, Annabelle remained silent.Marvin couldn't help but ask, "Were you and Kendrick planning to get divorced recently?"Annabelle absentmindedly nodded her head.She was still immersed in her own little world, imagining that one day in the future, she could also leave a trail of exhaust fumes for angelic bitches."Did... he leave?" Marvin continued to ask."Almost."Upon hearing this response, Marvin's heart raced a bit.If they had almost divorced before, it would indicate that there was a rift between her and Kendrick, and that would give me more opportunities...So I continued to probe, "So, are you
Marvin asked his mother at that time how she planned to help.The mother did not answer him, she just said to wait and see.In short, once he had prepared for a lifelong battle, he was no longer as impatient as before, as long as he ensured to live a healthy life, living longer than Kendrick would be enough.Twenty minutes later, the car drove into the parking lot of the Gregory Group.Afterwards, Marvin and Annabelle took the president's private elevator together and arrived at the floor where Kendrick's office was located.After he planned to drop off Annabelle, he happened to meet Jaime right after getting off the elevator. He handed Annabelle over to Jaime and left to attend to his own matters."Was Kendrick busy? I need to talk to him.""The president was in a meeting.""Then I went to the office and waited."With that, Annabelle headed towards the president's office, while Jaime hurriedly followed behind, carrying two large bags, thinking that the president must be having a meet
He had a serious expression on his face, which made Annabelle a little nervous.And the people in the conference room behind him were also gossiping and looking at them at this moment. Although there was a glass door separating them, Annabelle couldn't help but breathe lightly and whispered, "After shopping at the supermarket, I wanted to come and have lunch with you."She didn't want to bring up the matter of learning to drive now, nor would she bring it up now.Kendrick frowned and glanced at her for a moment. Based on his understanding of his little wife, with her introverted and mildly socially anxious personality, it was impossible for her to suddenly come to his company to have lunch with him.So there must be something, maybe just not convenient to say it now?No matter what the reason was, Kendrick was very happy to suddenly see her.So he took her little hand and held it, not cold.Knowing that she was not cold, Kendrick grabbed the yarn ball on her hat and took off her hat.
What Gauge wanted to discuss with Kendrick was a strategic collaboration between their two companies.Since stepping into the family business, Gauge had discovered a series of issues.Although Lin Jewelry appeared to be thriving, its narrow focus on a single line of business had left it vulnerable to serious challenges.Therefore, Gauge was planning to expand the jewelry and watch business within the next five years into leather goods, fashion products, and the perfume industry.He also proposed merging the group's original real estate construction division with a subsidiary of Gregory's Group. Murphy's Group would retain only a small share—essentially, a disguised sale to Gregory's.But the reason they couldn’t call it a sale outright was because Murphy's Group had started out in the construction industry. Gauge’s father, Simon, still held an emotional attachment to that legacy and couldn’t let go entirely.After the merger of the construction branches, Gauge hoped to acquire Gregory
At first, Annabelle didn’t understand what he was up to. It wasn’t until they were back inside the house that she realized—Kendrick thought she looked a little too sexy wearing his oversized T-shirt, especially since it made it seem like she wasn’t wearing anything on the bottom. It sparked a lot of imaginative thoughts.Annabelle was both amused and exasperated. She lifted the hem of the T-shirt to show him: “I am wearing shorts! They’re just... a little short. But still totally decent!”But Mr. Gregory was persistent. In the end, Annabelle gave in and changed into her own clothes.Once they were both dressed, they returned to the courtyard.Annabelle noticed Gauge hadn’t touched the watermelon and asked why—after all, it was set aside just for him.Gauge pulled a ten-hole blues harmonica from his pocket and said, “If I eat now, I won’t be able to play.”She knew harmonica players had to keep their mouth clean before playing.Then, Gauge handed her his guitar. “Since we’re just hang
While Kendrick was cutting the watermelon, Annabelle couldn’t take her eyes off him.How strange—why did everything this man did seem so charming to her? Even slicing a watermelon looked handsome.It was as if her brain had automatically applied a beauty filter to him.Annabelle placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. But the more she tried, the faster it beat. The sweet words he had just whispered, every little expression and gesture of his, were now playing back in her mind like a movie…Kendrick held out the watermelon to her with a grin. “Little fangirl, stop staring. This handsome guy is your husband—100% confirmed.”Annabelle glared at him with a flushed face. “Narcissist!”Then she lowered her head, scooping out a bite of watermelon, determined to focus on eating.Just as she was about to take a bite, she noticed Kendrick had sat down.The other half of the watermelon was still sitting on the small stone platform by the well.“Aren’t you going to eat?”“Y
Annabelle smiled softly, her eyes twinkling with a mix of amusement and affection. "Why do you always have to compare everything?" she asked, her voice gentle and teasing."I just want to know," he replied, his voice low and earnest. He reached out and tucked a strand of Anna's hair behind her ear, his touch light but intimate. "What it feels like for you to be with me."Annabelle fell into deep thought, her gaze drifting away as she considered his question. The room was quiet, filled only with the soft sounds of their breathing and the occasional rustle of the sheets beneath them. After a while, she still hadn't answered. Kendrick sighed, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Is it really that hard to answer?""Hmm... it’s hard to describe," Annabelle murmured thoughtfully, her fingers playing with the edge of the blanket. "Before, when I was with you, just seeing you would throw my heart into chaos. My pulse would race, and I could hardly catch my breath. But now…” She trailed off, h
Annabelle hadn’t slept so soundly in a long time.When she lazily opened her eyes and looked out the window, she realized it was already dark.Ever since arriving at her grandma’s house and staying in this quiet little fishing village—far away from her usual life—it felt like she had escaped to another world. Her entire being relaxed, with nothing left to worry about.Kendrick didn’t have to stress over the corporation anymore either.Their biggest daily dilemma had become: what should we eat for the next meal?If only life could always be this carefree...Annabelle slowly sat up. After sleeping for so long, her whole body felt soft and mushy. She got out of bed and wandered into the courtyard, where she saw Kendrick sitting at the small table, smoking.When he heard her, he turned around.“Awake?”Kendrick stubbed out his cigarette and patted his thigh.Annabelle walked over without hesitation or shyness and naturally sat on his lap, arms around his neck, resting softly against his s
Kendrick’s face darkened. “It’s better to date someone older. Look at Mr. Murphy—he’s too young, can’t even cook. How’s he supposed to take care of a girlfriend?”Annabelle raised her eyebrows and gave the sly old fox a glance. Flicking the water off her hands, she smiled and said, “But younger guys are energetic—and no generation gap!”Kendrick let out a sharp “hmph.” “You think there’s a generation gap between us?”“I didn’t say us,” Annabelle teased, eyes twinkling. “Why are you jumping to conclusions? Having a midlife crisis already, Uncle?”The little bunny was obviously up to no good with that mischievous grin.Kendrick glanced at the loquat tree in the courtyard, then squinted at the sunlight filtering through its leaves, trying hard to stay calm.After all, he was turning 31 after the New Year. Couldn’t let a little girl get under his skin, right?But midlife crisis? Really?He was in his prime. A young man!So this young Mr. Gregory looked into the reflection on the glass. He
So Annabelle thought to herself—was Mr. Gregory being a little too proactive?Kendrick asked lightly, “So, do you want to go swimming with him alone?”He deliberately emphasized the word “alone,” as if suggesting she had ulterior motives. Annabelle could only respond, “...I never said that!”“Then that’s that,” Kendrick said calmly, taking her hand and leading her into the house.After a short rest, the three of them began preparing lunch.Gauge was every bit the privileged young master—clearly someone who’d never cooked at home before. He practically didn’t know how to do anything.He was too rough when washing vegetables, to the point of mangling the leaves.Then they had him try chopping vegetables—but the young master, with his obsessive need for precision, insisted on cutting everything perfectly uniform, each slice as neat as the next. At the rate he was going, they’d probably be eating tomorrow’s lunch.Kendrick and Annabelle didn’t even bother expecting him to cook anything. T
Afterward, the three of them returned to Grandma’s house first.Gauge waited in the courtyard while Annabelle and Kendrick brought the things they bought at the market into the house. After grabbing the ingredients they needed for lunch, the three of them headed to Gauge’s place together.When they arrived in front of the white guesthouse, Kendrick couldn’t help but chuckle.That morning, he and Anna had passed by this very spot. He had been wondering at the time—the place had a fresh, elegant architectural style. But there was no signboard, so maybe it wasn’t a guesthouse after all. If it was just a private residence, then it probably belonged to someone with means.Sure enough, his guess wasn’t far off. What he didn’t expect was that this would turn out to be Gauge’s home.After stepping through the front gate, Annabelle couldn’t help but marvel.To build such a charming little courtyard on this sloped hill must’ve taken a lot of thought and care.“Come in, rest a bit. Have some wat
As Kendrick was lost in thought, Annabelle called out to him, “Let me help you carry a couple of those.”Just moments ago, Kendrick had taken all the shopping bags from her hands—he was carrying everything by himself now.Seeing his forehead glistening with sweat, Annabelle, who now had empty hands, felt both guilty and worried.Kendrick looked back at her, smiled, and said, “I could carry you on my back too, no problem.”“Stop messing around, give me two bags.”Seeing how serious she looked, eyebrows furrowed and all, he finally gave in and handed her two of the lightest ones.But as soon as she took them, Gauge casually took them from her without saying a word.Annabelle: “…”She felt like she’d just become the middleman in a hand-off.Kendrick glanced at Gauge. “Thanks, Mr. Murphy.”His tone and look were both laced with provocation.Even Annabelle thought he was kinda asking for a punch right then.Gauge snorted coldly, “Don’t thank me. It’s not like I’m helping you.”“Tsk, brat…”