After hearing Annabelle’s explanation, Grandpa nodded. "Today's journalists are too fond of sensationalizing things."Annabelle smiled. "Being a journalist must come with a lot of pressure. They’re just trying to make a living. I don’t really like this kind of shameless reporting, but I can understand their position."She felt a little guilty as she said it.But with Ariana going back on her word, losing the swimming bet, and still trying to target her, Annabelle was irritated.Ariana wanted Grandpa to dislike her, right? Well, Annabelle would show her whether her little tricks would work.As expected, after Annabelle finished speaking, Lydia couldn't help but praise her: "It's rare for Annabelle to think this way!"Grandpa also agreed, smiling as he said, "Annabelle is just too kind. She should be more cautious when dealing with others."Annabelle felt pleased by the compliment but also a little guilty. She wasn’t as innocent as she made herself seem, though.Just as she was thinking
Annabelle chatted with her grandfather for a while about her endorsement of Lin's Jewelry. Grandpa Gregory reminded her to work hard but not to overwork herself. He also told her that, in the workplace, she would inevitably encounter all kinds of people. Even though everyone knew she was the young mistress of the Gregory family, there might still be some people plotting behind her back. If she ever faced unfair treatment, she shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for herself.His careful advice made Annabelle feel a little emotional. In her grandfather's eyes, she was still a child without much social experience. But since she was ten, she had lost her family's protection. If she hadn’t learned how to protect herself, she might not even be alive today. The current her was no longer the Annabelle who could be easily bullied."Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll take care of myself," she reassured him.Grandpa Gregory nodded in response. Just then, the head chef brought out a new dish. Grandpa invited
Cael stood up first, pulling Ariana's chair back for her and gently guiding her out of the dining room. He looked every bit the gentleman.Charlotte also got up, adjusting her skirt and lowering her head. She shot a shy glance at Cael, her lips pressed together.As Cael passed by her, he boldly reached out and pinched Charlotte’s bottom.Annabelle saw the whole thing.This man was absolutely outrageous!Though she knew there were good and bad men in the world, seeing it firsthand was an entirely different matter.Should she warn Ariana?She debated for a moment. Ariana was engaged to Cael, but she had been pining for Kendrick even after that. Cael and Ariana were both equally at fault in their relationship, so maybe she shouldn't interfere.But as she thought about it, Annabelle felt she couldn’t stay silent. Regardless of her personal grudges with Ariana or whether Ariana was truly in love with Cael, she couldn’t watch another woman marry a man like that without doing something about
The sounds of the couple’s intimacy outside were enough to make Annabelle feel so embarrassed she wished she could just disappear into thin air. What startled her even more were the words Cael had said.It turned out that he and Ariana weren’t really in a romantic relationship, and he had already been secretly involved with Charlotte earlier in the afternoon. Ariana knew about it as well. In other words, there was no need for her to warn Ariana after all.The conversation outside only grew more obscene, with Cael saying things that made Annabelle cover her ears in discomfort. "Why, God? Why must I be forced to witness two shocking incidents in a single day?"Should she go out and interrupt them now? Annabelle felt she would burst from the awkwardness. Should she just wait until they were done? That would surely drive her mad.She needed a way out. After a moment of thought, she took out her phone, cranked the volume up to maximum, and began playing a funny video.Sure enough, as soon
Inside Cael’s car.Ariana’s face was extremely sour."Cael, even if you want to flirt with women, can’t you tone it down a bit? At least don’t do it at the Gregory family’s place."Cael chuckled. "Isn’t it more exciting this way?""You’re really sick.""lol, don’t tell me you’ve never thought about anything dirty. We’re basically the same kind of people."Ariana ground her teeth in frustration and replied, "Don’t mix me with you. I’m just worried you’ll let your hormones get in the way and mess up our plan.""Don’t worry." Cael paused for a moment, then added, "And what do you mean by hormones? I’m just being direct about what I want."Ariana shot him a glare. "As long as you get the job done, you can do whatever you like.""Of course. At the engagement party, I’m the one getting humiliated and cuckolded. I’m risking my own reputation to help you; I’ll make sure it’s a success."Ariana was stirred by the thought of their plan and felt excitement bubbling inside her.She and Cael were
Kendrick led Annabelle to the glass greenhouse in the back garden. He knew Trey had been cultivating various roses, and since Annabelle loved flowers, he had been meaning to take her there for a while. Tonight was the perfect opportunity.They passed through the corridor in the back yard and arrived at a small garden. The garden was filled with various winter-blooming plants along the center and walls, creating a colorful and lively atmosphere.Annabelle admired the flowers along the way, complimenting the vibrant blooms and the care taken in maintaining them.Seeing her in a relatively good mood, Kendrick figured nothing too serious had happened tonight. Otherwise, Annabelle wouldn't have had the energy to enjoy the flowers. But he was still eager to know what she wanted to tell him.The two of them walked along the path and entered the glass greenhouse.Now that they were alone, Annabelle finally took the opportunity to gossip, telling Kendrick everything she had witnessed earlier d
Kendrick was taken aback at first, not understanding why she kissed him, but when he saw the playful glint in her eyes, he quickly figured out her thoughts. Smiling, he pinched her cheek."Anna, you’ve always cared about Ariana, haven’t you?""I don’t!" Annabelle turned her head proudly, pretending to admire the flowers.Kendrick chuckled and gently turned her back around. "Alright, whatever happens between her and Cael doesn’t concern us. We don’t need to worry about it."Kendrick understood that ever since their first meeting, when Annabelle suggested he let the grass pot Ariana gave him overgrow instead of regularly cleaning it, he had known that she was uneasy about his relationship with Ariana.Later, when they went golfing together and Ariana fainted in his arms, Annabelle had clearly been upset.Perhaps from that moment on, Annabelle had sensed something more from Ariana, a kind of hidden intention.But Kendrick hadn’t been perceptive enough to see Ariana’s affection for him, n
At that time, Kendrick must have been very angry and sad. His stepmother had been clearing out his mother’s belongings, not even sparing a few flower pots. She dared to do that, which must have been tacitly approved by Colten.Fortunately, Trey had been there for him, giving him comfort and encouragement. This was probably why Kendrick had always been so close to Trey.After a while, Kendrick smiled and gently rubbed the top of her head. “It’s alright. I’m fine.”Annabelle replied with a soft "Oh..." But she noticed his eyes were red, and she really wanted to comfort him by patting his head."Many people think the epiphyllum has bad connotations. When Lydia threw the epiphyllums away, she said that the flowers were unlucky. Even Father agreed. So why do you like them so much, Anna?"Annabelle pursed her lips and replied, "There’s no such thing as good or bad plants. What people call lucky or unlucky is just something they’ve attached to them. In fact, the phrase 'like an epiphyllum' h
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