Annabelle thought to herself, *I've already given myself to you, and you're still asking me this question? You're really getting a bargain and still acting coy.* In the past, she had thought she shouldn't accept these red envelopes as a fake daughter-in-law, and she planned to return them all when they divorced. But after being so intimate with Kendrick, she had unknowingly accepted the role of the Gregory family's young mistress. Her mindset changed, and for issues that weren't major, she no longer cared too much. For example, the New Year red envelopes… "You did say that what’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine," Annabelle said with a smile. "Ugh—why didn’t I notice you’re such a little money grabber?" "I’m just curious," she replied. She still hadn’t told him that she really wanted to buy a little wooden box to store her favorite jewelry in. She was afraid that if she told him, he'd just buy it for her—after all, that amount of money meant nothing to him. But Annab
Annabelle fell into deep thought. While she hadn't learned music to please others, under the circumstances, she decided to bend a little for the big red envelope. "Well, when we get home today, how about I play you a song?" Kendrick curved his lips, lifting her chin, and said with a mischievous smile, "It better sound good." "Of course." Annabelle thought to herself, *Even though my physical skills are practically nonexistent, I can still play the piano!*Last time, when she played a piece for Kendrick during the school anniversary, his reaction showed that it was pretty good. Besides, she had plenty of pieces she was good at, so this wouldn’t be hard for her. Thinking that, she found herself looking forward to getting home sooner. However, Kendrick said they had to wait until after lunch on New Year's Day to head back, so Annabelle spent the morning with Trey in the little garden, trimming the plants as a way of ushering in the new year. Annabelle had never trimmed such
Hmm? She has no intention of compensation at all. This guy is just looking for reasons to tease her...Annabelle muttered to herself, giving him a glare, whispering, "Did you grow four kidneys or something?"Kendrick chuckled softly. "If you really think that way, Annabelle, you might just turn into a bad girl.""..."Annabelle inwardly sighed in exasperation. Why is she always being teased, no matter the situation?Just when she thought most of the guests had arrived and were chatting in the living room, Annabelle planned to sneak back to her room. But just as she was about to enter the elevator, a middle-aged woman, whose exact relation to the family was unclear, grabbed her wrist."Annabelle, come, come, don't go yet! Let me tell your fortune! The first fortune of the new year is always the most accurate."As she spoke, she tried to pull Annabelle towards the sitting room.This enthusiastic woman, plump and dressed in a purple dress, with her hair elegantly styled and heavy makeup,
How strange—she was clearly just a harmless little rabbit, yet it seemed like everyone was trying to trip her up.But Annabelle couldn’t just leave in a huff, especially now that she held the title of "Mrs. Gregory." She decided to let them look—after all, she was curious to see if the fortune the old Taoist had predicted all those years ago would actually be true.So, with Aunt Emma’s guidance, Annabelle sat down, took the coins she was handed, and tossed them six times.Aunt Emma watched intently, and after the sixth toss, she paused for a moment before saying with a serious expression, "Annabelle, your fate is very unique, quite rare."Annabelle thought to herself, "A 'Heaven's Doom Star' is unique and rare, right?"Just then, Lydia, Marvin's mother, walked into the room from a nearby sitting area, just in time to hear Aunt Emma telling Annabelle's fortune.Lydia was quite into fortune-telling herself, and she wanted to know what kind of fate the girl her son had chosen had. If her
Annabelle was still wondering how to explain their flash marriage. Technically speaking, she was the one who proposed the deal—she’d help Kendrick treat his migraines, and in exchange, they got engaged. But later, when they went to get the marriage certificate and ended up turning fake into real, that wasn’t her scheming. That was all Kendrick’s little tricks. Just as Annabelle was feeling a bit awkward, Kendrick walked in with a smile and said, “I fell in love with Annabelle at first sight. I was the one who proposed.” He had just finished chatting with a few uncles when he overheard the lively discussion on this side of the room. Glancing over, he saw his little bunny sitting inside. He was puzzled about why she hadn’t gone back to their room, but then he heard Aunt Emma talking about Annabelle’s destiny and instantly understood the situation. She had probably been dragged into this by Aunt Emma, who had a particular hobby—fortune-telling. Gregoryessing that his little bun
When Annabelle was placed on the bed, she panicked and immediately warned, “Kendrick, don’t you dare! Your relatives and friends are still waiting for you outside, and I haven’t fully recovered yet!” Kendrick merely chuckled and said nothing. The red sweater was the first to be tossed onto the soft, clean carpet, soon followed by a few more garments keeping it company. As for their little owner, she was completely at his mercy—like fish on a chopping board, left to be devoured by the cunning old fox however he pleased. Though she repeatedly protested against his actions, the old fox remained unfazed. Instead, he teased, “Anna, you might as well be a little louder. That way, anyone who’s had their eyes on you will hear loud and clear that you’re mine and give up already.” Annabelle’s face instantly paled. “Doesn’t your house have good soundproofing?” She had been resisting and whimpering just now, not exactly quietly, and her heart was now pounding anxiously. “It’s not th
Annabelle blinked. She had only glanced at Marvin a little longer, hadn’t she?She then picked up some vinegar-braised fish and placed it on Kendrick's plate. "Here, darling, this is a dish you love."Kendrick raised an eyebrow. Hmm, little bunny is getting bold, teasing him in front of everyone?He leaned a little closer to her and whispered, “Actually, right now, I feel like eating a rabbit.” Then, he lightly scratched her palm, his tone flirtatious.Annabelle’s face immediately flushed red.At that moment, Marvin entered the dining room. Annabelle decided to ignore Kendrick and focus on him.Marvin greeted everyone at the table first. Before that, Lydia had already explained to the guests that Marvin had a high fever last night and had been resting in the morning, so he arrived late, and the guests understood.In the past, if Marvin had shown up after the meal had started, Grandfather Gregory would have scolded him severely. But since Marvin saved Annabelle the night before, Grandf
Kendrick chuckled. “I said it. No takebacks.”“Good.”Annabelle was willing to endure, so she held that fish bone in her throat until the meal was finished, without anyone noticing.After the meal, the guests didn’t rush to leave. Some went to the game room to play cards, some stayed in the living room to chat over tea, and others went to the garden to admire the fish and flowers.None of them needed to be attended to by Kendrick and Annabelle.So, Annabelle quickly walked ahead, while Kendrick leisurely followed behind. The two of them headed back to their little suite.Kendrick had already noticed her red eyes, as if she were about to devour him, and now she was rushing back to the room.He couldn’t help but feel a little excited. He wondered what his little woman was planning to do to him.Once inside, Kendrick sat obediently on the sofa and said, “Now that no one’s around, if Madam wants to hit me, punish me, or take advantage of me, feel free.”Annabelle swallowed hard. “Get me s
Annabelle felt ticklish and giggled, swatting his hand lightly. “Lie still for a while, or I won’t keep you company.”Only then did Mr. Gregory purse his lips and obediently stop moving.If Anna hadn’t just recovered from a serious illness, and if he himself weren’t still weak right now, otherwise…Sigh! Kendrick let out a gloomy sigh, burying his face in the crook of her neck.After a moment, he asked, “By the way, did your young master say what exactly caused your fainting and shock?”Annabelle glanced at him with amusement. Every time he said your young master, she could smell the thick scent of jealousy wafting off him—but it was kind of cute, his little petty streak.So she repeated everything Ryan had told her, word for word.Kendrick listened carefully and didn’t comment much afterward. He only said, “Looks like you just had bad luck and ran into a poisonous flower.”Annabelle then brought up the scene at the little beach cabin, saying she was curious about what kind of woman h
In Annabelle’s eyes, Kendrick had made the best possible decision at the time—he had put her safety above all else and didn’t let pride get in the way by refusing the young master’s help.It was this kind of maturity and rationality that had always drawn her to Kendrick, giving her a deep sense of grounded security by his side.Looking at the petite woman in front of him, Kendrick suddenly didn’t know what to say.The guilt that had been gnawing at him for the past two days… was completely dissolved by a few simple, gentle words from his little bunny.Especially the phrase “You’re my husband.” That alone was more healing than ten IV drips.Without warning, he rolled over and pinned Anna onto the bed, kissing her more assertively, expressing his feelings in a far more direct way.Annabelle started pounding on his chest with little muffled sounds of protest.This man was crazy! If he kept moving like this, the IV line would come loose!But even sick, Kendrick was much stronger than she
Annabelle looked like she'd been caught red-handed, flustered and wide-eyed, staring at Kendrick at such a close distance.He, too, had his eyes slightly open, emotions deep and complex pooling within them.The anxiety and torment he’d endured these past two days—it all seemed to be captured in that one gaze.Kendrick moved the hand that had been resting on her back up to cradle the back of her head, and kissed her even deeper.Annabelle slowly closed her eyes, not daring to move, afraid of tugging at his IV line and causing the needle to slip out.Of course, she didn’t want to pull away either…So, what started as Kendrick kissing her forcefully ended up with her being more proactive and passionate instead.Coco, lazily glancing at the two people locked in an intense kiss, yawned, jumped off the bed, and followed the scent of its cat food to go find Uncle Trey.The little white cat trotted to the door, jumped up at the handle, hooked its front paws around it just right, then used its
"I'm heading over now."Just as Annabelle was about to hang up the phone, she heard Uncle Trey call out again, “Young Madam, wait a moment!”She brought the phone back to her ear. “What is it?”“When you come from home, could you bring Coco’s food and litter box? Young Master brought the cat over the night before last, but he didn’t bring any of its stuff. I’ve been too busy to go pick them up myself. It’s not starving or anything, but the poor thing has nowhere to go to the bathroom. It’s been squatting in the big flower pot every day…”Annabelle: “…”A vivid image popped into her mind—Coco tucked awkwardly under Kendrick’s arm, eyes wide with panic, meowing nonstop in complaint the entire way.She could just imagine it—one big, one small, both of them looking lost and homeless, wandering around like pitiful strays.But no matter how disoriented they were, how could they forget the cat food and litter?!Annabelle quickly gathered Coco’s things and drove to the old Gu estate.Just as
Ryan gave a small nod, unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt, and lay down on the bed, quickly falling asleep.Only after hearing his steady breathing did Seraphina return to his side. She carefully removed his outer shirt, then used a warm towel to wipe his face, and then his chest—where the alcohol had spilled. Sleeping like that would definitely be uncomfortable.Finally, she pulled the blanket over him.Seraphina stared at the man in bed for a long time. Then, for the first time, gathering all her courage, she leaned down and placed a light kiss on the lips of the man she loved.He didn’t love her. In his eyes, she probably lacked even a trace of a woman’s charm—perhaps she couldn’t even stir up a shred of desire.But he had given her the utmost respect. Could that be considered a form of caring?Seraphina gently touched his lips with her fingers, her heart full of bitterness, but in the end, she smiled softly.Maybe… that’s enough.…Annabelle had already arrived at the the Grego
The Young Master was drinking?Seraphina quickly set the breakfast tray on the foyer cabinet and rushed inside. Not seeing him in the outer living room, she headed toward the inner rooms.She paused as she passed through the dining area.The vase had been knocked over, shattered glass scattered all across the floor, and the flowers lay strewn in disarray.Seraphina’s heart pounded. She carefully stepped over the broken shards and headed toward the bedroom.The curtains were drawn tight, casting the room into darkness. The Young Master was sitting on the carpet at the foot of the bed, his head leaned back against the mattress, seemingly asleep.The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, a large alcohol stain spread across the front, and beside him sat an almost-empty bottle of strong liquor.Looking at him like this, Seraphina felt her heart shatter.The Young Master had endured so many blows in his life, but he had never fallen into despair like this. He had always gritted his teet
The taxi pulled away from the hotel entrance. Annabelle rolled the window up and gave the driver the address of the the Gregory Group headquarters.She turned back to look at Seraphina, who was still standing there at the entrance, gazing in her direction.When Seraphina had said, “Actually, I should be the one thanking you,” her expression had looked sorrowful—with a touch of self-mockery. That made Annabelle even more certain of one thing:Seraphina must have feelings for the Young Master.So she had thanked her… because Annabelle was leaving him.Annabelle suddenly wanted the driver to turn around. She wanted to personally tell Seraphina that she would never fight her for the Young Master. If possible, she’d even be willing to help them get together.But she couldn’t interfere in the Young Master’s love life anymore.That would only be rubbing salt into his wounds.Not willing to be with someone, yet still trying to introduce them to someone else?That wasn’t right. And Annabelle k
Annabelle’s pale face finally flushed with a hint of red. She covered her stomach in embarrassment and smiled.“I won’t eat—Kendrick must be really worried about me. I want to go back as soon as possible.”With that, she headed back to the bedroom, grabbed her own clean clothes from the bench at the end of the bed, and went into the walk-in closet.It was the summer outfit she had worn back in the small fishing village. Elfhedge’s weather was still far too cold for dresses, but she didn’t want to wait for the Young Master to find her something warmer.All she knew was—Kendrick must be worried sick.And knowing that she was here, with the Young Master… he was surely feeling awful.She had to get back—immediately.Annabelle changed into her clothes and stepped out of the closet. The light summer dress and linen sandals made her look fresh and airy as she walked up to the Young Master.“Young Master, I’m leaving now.”Ryan looked her up and down but didn’t say anything more. He simply re
The Young Master said it as if he were joking, but Annabelle couldn’t help taking it seriously.He had once given her the courage and will to live. He had spent years meticulously nursing her back to health, restoring her appearance. Even after they reunited, he had saved her life several times.The grace and kindness he had shown her weren’t things that could be repaid with just a few words.So before she met Kendrick, before she accepted his love, Annabelle had always thought—One day, she must repay the Young Master.How?Anything she had, anything he wanted.But now that she was with Kendrick, she could no longer say something like that so casually.She couldn’t betray her commitment to Kendrick just to repay the Young Master,Nor could she forget the Young Master’s kindness just because she had Kendrick now.Her only hope was that the Young Master would ask for something she could give—As long as it wasn’t something like, “Stay with me.”Caught in this internal struggle, Annabel