Annabelle turned to the Young Master. “Why not?”“You’re still injured. I’d like to help you with your recovery for a few days. Once you’re fully healed, I’ll let you go.”Annabelle opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, the Young Master interrupted her.“And the wound on your face is quite tricky. It’s a bit deep, and your skin is delicate. I’d prefer to treat it myself for a couple of days until it stabilizes. You wouldn’t want it to leave a scar, would you?”She certainly didn’t want a scar, but…“Maybe you could just tell me how to take care of it myself, and I’ll handle it.”The Young Master let out a faint, bitter smile. “To be honest, I just want you to stay a little longer. I happen to have some free time, and I’ll be staying here in the mountains for a while. Anna, why don’t you stay for two more days and make it up to me for missing my birthday?”Annabelle hesitated. The Young Master had saved her and now wanted to help her recover. If she insisted o
When the phone rang, Kendrick was still working overtime at the office.It had been three days since Anna left him. With no news from her, his frustration was reaching its limit. The only way to keep himself from dwelling on it was to immerse himself in work.Because the moment he stopped, his thoughts would run wild — Where was she? How was she? If she was unharmed, she would have called him by now.She wouldn’t just forget him. Anna wasn’t that kind of person.But no matter how much he tried to convince himself, endless scenarios played out in his mind. Maybe Ryan had imprisoned her. Maybe her injuries were severe, and she hadn’t regained consciousness. Or, worst of all — maybe she had changed her heart, erasing the moments they shared together.Perhaps she had simply returned to the man she once admired and adored. And Kendrick? He was nothing more than a fleeting chapter in her long life.These tormenting thoughts consumed him daily. Working was his only escape.His phone buzzed o
"Kendrick? Why aren’t you saying anything? What happened to Uncle Trey?""He’s fine. Out of danger now."Kendrick’s voice was hoarse. He wished he could leap through the phone signal, grab her by her little rabbit ears, and drag her straight back home."That’s good… that’s really good…"She sounded relieved.Just then, Kendrick heard a man’s voice from the other end."Anna, I need the phone. Are you done?"Kendrick nearly cursed out loud. Whatever trick Ryan had used to keep his wife there, it wasn’t enough — now he even controlled when she could make a simple phone call?"Kendrick, I have to go. The Young Master needs to use the phone.""Wait," Kendrick’s voice was cold. "Why can’t you come back to get treated? Do you think I can’t afford a doctor?"Anna explained, "It’s my face that’s injured. You know, after the burns, even though it healed without scarring under the Young Master’s treatment, my skin is much more fragile now. I just think he knows my skin condition better, and he h
The Young Master handed Anna a piece of paper and a pen. "Write down the prescription for the medicine. After Seraphina prepares it, I'll have her send it to Julissa at the hospital."Annabelle nodded, her emotions complicated as she wrote down the prescription and handed it to the Young Master."Rest for a while," Ryan said. "I'll give the prescription to Seraphina, and then I'll come back to change your dressing."Annabelle absentmindedly nodded, "Alright."Ryan walked out, his face darkening, his grip tightening around his phone as though he could crush the screen.Seraphina walked up from the first floor, noticing his mood and calling out to him in concern."Young Master..."Ryan waved her off. "Let's talk downstairs."Seraphina didn't say anything more and quickly followed him downstairs.They arrived at the living room on the first floor, where Ryan handed the prescription to Seraphina."Prepare it as soon as possible according to Anna’s instructions and send it to Julissa at th
Seraphina didn’t know whether she should feel heartbroken or touched.It meant that the Young Master had special feelings for her, but not love.It also meant that she would never truly win his heart.She was like Dereon, a trusted confidante to the Young Master. But in his eyes, perhaps she wasn’t even seen as a woman...At the moment when her tears were about to fall, Ryan kissed her eyes.Seraphina instinctively closed her eyes. His lips were slightly cold, and a bit soft, but the kiss was too light, too shallow. It didn’t last long enough to truly experience. It only brushed her eyelids before quickly pulling away.Leaving behind a great sense of loss.“Don’t make things difficult for Anna. Don’t force her to leave. Don’t hurt her. Let her stay as long as she wants. Okay?”Seraphina forced a faint smile. It was then that she realized that everything the Young Master had said and done earlier was only because he wanted her to be kind to Ms. Sanchez, not to hurt the woman he loved..
Seraphina smiled and nodded at her, "Yes, the Young Master you're thinking of.""You said Anna is with the Young Master, what does that mean?" Julissa asked again.The day before, Kendrick had come to see her and said that Anna couldn't visit her recently because she was a bit busy. Julissa noticed that Kendrick didn’t look too good, but didn’t think too much of it at the time.Now, after hearing Seraphina’s words, she seemed to understand a little.Kendrick must be anxious since Anna was now with another man... and not just any man, but her number one rival.Seraphina then said, “This, it’s better for Anna to tell you herself.”Julissa thought to herself that Seraphina was tight-lipped, not revealing anything. Well, she trusted that Anna knew what she was doing and wouldn’t jump to conclusions.“Please thank Anna for me, and thank you for coming all the way here.”Seraphina smiled at her. “No need to thank me. I wish you a speedy recovery. I’ll leave now.”She smiled and nodded at Sc
Scott lowered his head and looked at her, seeing right through her little thoughts.She wasn’t really feeling unwell; she was just overwhelmed by the difficulty ahead. It was understandable—she had just gotten injured and now had to use her brain to study. Of course, she wouldn’t be in the mood.But he didn’t know what else to do with her. He was only keeping her company while she studied to keep her entertained, not to turn her into a straight-A student.He grabbed Julissa’s small hand, which was resting on his arm, and held it in his own, gently squeezing it. It was soft, warm, and felt nice to the touch.However, Julissa’s palms began to sweat as she looked at Mr. Nichols nervously. Why did she feel a dangerous aura all of a sudden?“What are you thinking about?”Scott leaned in slightly and whispered beside her ear.“I want to kiss you.”His voice was low and seductive, making Julissa’s heart rate skyrocket to 120 in an instant. Her head buzzed, and she instinctively shrank her ne
This was their second kiss since getting together.Scott was gentle, but Julissa had little experience in this area. She quickly found herself short of breath, instinctively parting her lips as if fighting him for oxygen.This unintentional response, however, was taken by Scott as a sign of affection, stirring something deep inside him.He had been holding back these past few days.Julissa didn’t remember that they had already been intimate once, nor could she recall the details of that night.But Scott did. And he remembered it vividly.Now that they were officially a couple, his thoughts about that night had only grown stronger.It was like finally being given permission, only to be denied the reward—this frustration was something only he understood.He didn’t want to seem like a man who only thought with his lower half, so when he couldn’t be physically close to her, he exercised extreme restraint.After all, Julissa was still in the hospital, recovering from serious injuries. If 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