Annabelle had already discussed the piece with Seamus before performing. It was a famous French love song, with a lively melody perfect for the New Year. Seamus could sing it, and Annabelle could play it on the instrument. They instantly hit it off.At this moment, Annabelle wore a dress, a graceful outfit that complemented her gentle demeanor. Yet, she played a lively foreign song, blending Eastern and Western styles. Rather than clashing, the fusion gave an impression of artistic talent, as though she could master any instrument and any genre with her long fingers.In the audience, Kendrick's gaze grew deeper.Every time Annabelle performed, it captivated him. She always played with a smile, her gaze pure. When she looked at him, it felt like she wasn’t truly looking at him, but at a world only she could see—a beautiful, pristine world that no one could enter.This made Kendrick, who was always so certain, feel a bit of loss. Annabelle was his, but at the same time, not entirely his
At this moment, Kendrick arrived at the stage and took Annabelle's hand. “What are you thinking about?”Annabelle quietly crumpled the note in her other hand and said, “I’m a bit tired. I want to go home.”The gloom in Kendrick’s eyes lifted slightly, and he smiled, smoothing her hair. “Alright, let’s go.”He took the flowers from her and, after greeting Seamus and Scott, led her back to the booth. Afterward, they left the club.In the VIP booth, Ryan watched them leave, his fingers tightening.Anna didn’t rush to see him. This was expected since she was with Kendrick and wouldn’t approach him recklessly.But she didn’t play the song he requested?Ryan clearly saw that Annabelle had crumpled up the note. This surprised him.Was she rejecting him for Kendrick?“Master, at the Mr. Duncan’s banquet on the sixth day of the new year, who will be your partner?” Dereon stood beside Ryan, his voice calm, but his eyes constantly observing his master’s reaction.Ryan tapped his fingers on the m
Annabelle had just gotten into bed, still awake and a bit preoccupied, her thoughts running in circles. She was considering what to do next time she saw the young master—perhaps she should just tell him that she and Kendrick were already...Just as she was thinking about this, Kendrick climbed into bed and pressed closely against her waist in a suggestive manner.Annabelle originally planned to stay quiet and pretend to sleep, but then she suddenly remembered something and quickly turned to face him. "Kendrick, didn't we agree you wouldn't come into my bed for three days?"The three-day rule was a punishment for him leaving a kiss mark on her neck on purpose. But since she was still in his arms, her words lacked any real power.However, Kendrick, upon hearing her, relaxed his hold and said, "Oh right, I forgot. Then I'll leave now."Kendrick actually got out of bed.Just as Annabelle was wondering why he was being so obedient today, she found that he had walked over to her side, wrapp
Once the room fell silent again, Annabelle couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you tired?"Although she had started working out and was in much better shape than before, she still couldn't keep up with Kendrick's... intensity."Wilson's prescription works really fast," Kendrick said with a smile, then paused before adding, "Mostly because I won't be seeing you for the next two days, so I'm prepaying for it."Annabelle was taken aback. "Are you going on a business trip?""Mm, flying to Tokyo tomorrow morning.""Ah, okay," Annabelle nodded. She hadn't heard him mention it before.Kendrick chuckled, saying it was a sudden decision and he hadn't expected it either. However, it was just a project meeting, and he would be back by the fifth day at the latest."Are you going to miss me?" he teased.When Annabelle heard he was leaving for a business trip, she felt a little empty inside but didn't want to admit it. Instead, she stubbornly said, "I can't wait for you to leave. That way, I can get som
"Why do you look so bad? Have you started losing sleep again?" Annabelle asked as she sat down.She knew that since Julissa's car accident, she had been dealing with migraines and insomnia, so she thought her condition had flared up again.But Julissa waved her hand dismissively, as if she didn’t care, and smiled. "Ah, I just had a breakup. Haven’t had much of an appetite lately, so I thought I’d come out and clear my head."Annabelle was shocked. "You broke up with Liam? Weren’t you two preparing for your wedding just a few days ago?"And as far as Annabelle knew, Julissa and Liam had grown up in the same neighborhood, attended the same schools from elementary to university, and were childhood sweethearts. They had planned to get married after graduation, but then Julissa had the accident, falling into a coma for over 20 days. When she woke up, Liam proposed to her immediately.As Julissa’s health improved, she couldn’t continue dancing and became quite depressed. She went to Tahiti
Julissa sighed and glanced at the time. "Ugh, it’s a long story. Let’s talk on the way. I don’t want to hold you up before your stylist appointment."Annabelle shot her a worried look and nodded.She drove while Julissa sat in the passenger seat, and they headed to the hospital. Along the way, Julissa started talking about what had happened recently.After breaking up with Liam, she had gone to a bar to drink her sorrows away and ended up sleeping with a male escort. The next morning, when she woke up in the hotel, feeling like she had lost both her boyfriend and her dignity, she left her phone number behind and fled.Later, she waited for the escort to come collect his payment, but he never contacted her. Upon reflection, she realized that the guy hadn’t used protection, which felt morally wrong. And to make matters worse, it was her first time—she had definitely lost out in this situation. It was likely the escort was too ashamed to show his face and ask for payment.In the days tha
The woman was none other than Livia, the daughter of the Song family who had once had her car smashed by Kendrick.Livia had recently gone through an abortion and was in the hospital for a follow-up. She hadn’t expected to run into Annabelle.A while back, she had blocked Annabelle’s car on the street, and Kendrick had ordered her car to be smashed. He had also used severe measures to put the corrupt official, who had been bullying Annabelle, behind bars. After that incident, Livia had been terrified and dared not act out again, but she still harbored resentment toward Annabelle.Seeing Annabelle at the hospital and overhearing her conversation with her friend, Livia was stunned. So, Annabelle didn’t want to have a child for Kendrick?In a family like the Gregory family, carrying on the family line was incredibly important. If Gregory’s family knew that Annabelle didn’t want children—or worse, was planning to abort if she became pregnant—would she still be able to keep her position as
Scott gazed at the girl in front of him, “Hmm?”“The president of the Nichols Group, the one featured on the cover of a finance magazine?”Scott lowered his gaze, smiled faintly, and said, “Hello, Miss Hickman.”Julissa quickly extended her hand. “Nice to meet you!”She was so happy because the Nichols family also had a third young master, Julian, a rising star in the entertainment industry. Julissa was a huge fan of him lately. Now that she had met Scott, she thought, since he was a friend of Annabelle, it shouldn’t be too hard to get his younger brother’s autograph or a photo.She felt a little giddy at the thought, and her earlier gloom was completely forgotten.Scott then reached out and shook her hand.It was this very hand that had left three scratch marks on his chest that night, but now it felt so soft.After their handshake, Scott led them into the styling studio.Annabelle could tell from the look on Julissa’s face that she was thinking about something else. She pinched her
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