Lately, every time they picked up Sean from school, Betty would drag Diana and Julian to this very café for a small treat. Then, she would pack a portion of creamy yogurt buns for her big brother. Sean didn't like sweets, so it would ultimately end up with Betty eating them all.Every time they came here, Betty felt like she had entered heaven. The café had a calm vibe to it, which allowed her to sit comfortably and enjoy her dessert without a care in the world.Diana and Oliver could also discuss in peace."The rental yield on that property isn't high. If you can buy it, it will actually benefit me," Oliver said calmly. There was excitement in his eyes the moment he saw Diana, but he quickly composed himself.He had once deceived Diana by collaborating with the Pabian family. It was his biggest regret. He couldn't let it go, even until now. Since then, he had sworn that he wouldn't do anything to make her unhappy again.She didn't have feelings for him, not the way he did for
However, no one answered.In Collina Villa, Layla had heard a phone ringing in Julian's room for a while. After thinking it over, she decided to open the door and take a look.It was an old-fashioned mobile phone, and it was placed in the wardrobe.The phone didn't seem like Julian's usual style. He usually put everything in its proper place, so it was unlikely for him to leave his phone here. Was he perhaps looking for it, and was trying to call it from another phone?Layla stood there for a while. She was puzzled, but she noticed that the ringing continued persistently. In the end, she decided to answer it for him.As soon as she pressed the answer button, she said, "Hello." This was the first time she had answered Julian's phone without his permission. She was already nervous about it. Now that she had answered the call, she even felt a bit flustered.Even her speech was slow. Before she could finish her greeting, the call was disconnected.Wait, why was there a woman's voi
They took turns calling Noel's phone, but it remained unreachable. Julian now realized that Noel truly didn’t believe his words and had actually disappeared without a trace.Fortunately, they checked Noel's immigration records and confirmed he was still in the country. Noel was not only loyal to Julian in his work, but was also a respectful son. If he had the intention to go abroad, he would definitely come back to see Albert.Julian wanted to bring Albert back to the Fulcher Manor and wait for Noel to return, but Cecilia refused."What if he doesn't come back?" Cecilia asked, tears streaming down her face. Ever since she learned of Noel's intention to go abroad, she didn’t stop crying.Julian was getting tired of her tears. "Well, what do you suggest we do now? We can't just keep wandering around aimlessly.""Wait here," Cecilia suggested."No, we can't do that," Albert said. He was the first to oppose the idea. "My home is in the countryside. Even though it's late autumn, there
Julian returned Layla's call when he got the message. "Miss, you're back." He heard Layla talking to someone as soon as the call connected. Julian had no doubt that the person on the other end was Diana. He wondered where Diana had gone. He was curious and wanted to ask, but then he remembered the abruptly ended video call. His interest waned after he recalled the incident.Layla was engrossed in conversation with Diana, unaware she was holding the landline phone receiver. "How's it going? Did the house purchase go smoothly?" Layla asked. She was genuinely concerned about the matter."It was fine," Diana replied calmly, completely different from her assertive tone when she spoke to Julian. Julian listened to her conversation, and strangely felt a sense of satisfaction. It was good to hear her speak so calmly."Before making my final decision, I need to meet with one of my investors. He supported me before I lost my memory, and I need to calculate whether I can afford the
Mr. Fulcher’s fiancée was another woman.Diana was situationally aware enough to sense Layla becoming more serious, and immediately guessed who was on the line. She didn’t cut in the phone conversation, and instead settled on the couch.She wanted to ask about what Layla had said earlier, and to know how many times Julian’s phone rang. She was also curious about the text. Layla was telling her about it, but couldn’t finish explaining.Could Mr. Whatever be Julian…?If Julian had been fooling her under the alias of Mr. Whatever and hiding it from her…Diana clenched her fists, a strange sensation rising in her chest.Layla was shuddering. “Sir…”She could tell that Julian was furious right now.“Forget it,” he said. Thankfully, he didn’t press the matter this time. “Send the phone to…no, I’d better come over and take it myself.”Layla immediately nodded. “Of course, Sir.”Diana saw Layla hang up without saying much, though her face had gone pale.Diana quickly poured a cup of
Diana once assumed that Layla prioritized her more than Julian. After all, Layla doted on her and took such good care of her day in, day out.Yet…In the end, Layla turned out to be partial toward Julian.Diana knew it wasn’t wrong of Layla to act that way. After all, Julian was her employer. Plus, he had lived with Layla for so many years.Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Diana from feeling disappointed.If only Madam Fulcher, whom Layla often spoke of so fondly, were still around. If that was the case, could Diana feel the kinship she had never experienced before?At that moment, her desire to regain her memories grew stronger.She immediately opened the door, and took Sean and Betty to the Stewarts’ residence.She wanted to meet Shiloh right this instant. She shouldn’t delay her task of regaining her memories any further.Meanwhile, Julian was driving out of Fulcher Manor.Right now, he had no idea where Noel was. Cecilia couldn’t confess her feelings to Noel personally when
He didn’t like Cecilia, either.Yet…Diana continued to be so stubborn!“I will remarry her,” Julian suddenly declared to Layla. “Don’t call her Ms. Winnington anymore. Just call her Mrs. Fulcher.”Layla looked as if she were put in a difficult spot. “Got it, Mr. Fulcher.”She wasn’t happy about it at all.In fact…Despite being Julian’s loyal employee, she couldn’t stand what he was doing right now.“Ms. Winnington.” Layla immediately phoned Diana the moment Julian left.Diana had yet to reach the Stewarts’ residence when Layla’s call came in. She had just begun learning how to drive, and wasn’t that familiar with it. What’s more, the twins were in the car. She didn’t dare to drive too quickly.She simply allowed the car to cruise along the road, slowly and steadily.“Layla, what’s the matter?”Her kind and friendly tone immediately warmed Layla’s heart. Layla felt guilty about lying to Diana about the text. She became determined to tell Diana about how ridiculous Julia
After a momentary shock, Julian felt his heart grow heavy. “Who said I wanted to remarry you?” His face fell. He reached into the car, and opened the car door with a click.He carried Betty out, and said to Diana, “We agreed that Sean will follow you, and Betty will follow me.”Betty could sense that something was wrong from Julian and Diana’s conversation. She wrapped her arms tightly around Julian’s neck, her eyes wide with fear. “Daddy, don’t shout. Don’t shout.”Kids always feel uneasy when they see adults around them fight.Sean looked fine. His face was expressionless as usual. The only exception was his deep, dark eyes that stared quietly at Julian.Under Sean’s stare, guilt rose in Julian’s heart.However, it disappeared quickly, giving way to anger and frustration.He had been chasing after Diana, yet she refused to give in to him. She even declared her refusal to remarry him without giving him a chance to speak!That was akin to piercing his heart with a knife. Th
“Life is all about reconciliation.” Decades passed in the blink of an eye. Diana’s children had all grown up.Kate and Isaac had both passed away. Even Diana’s old friends, Fanny and Oliver, had left the world too.Fanny was never able to get pregnant again after that rainy night. She had gradually let go of her desire to get pregnant under Oliver’s persuasion.They stayed relentlessly by each other’s side, albeit childless. Over the years, having experienced all that life had to offer and being each other’s best friend, Oliver died on a peaceful night, never awaking again.Fanny held his hand while sending him off, and closed her eyes forever as well.Diana had seen too many people off in her lifetime.She had grown old herself, too. She could see her life slowly ebbing away.“Julian, I’m so happy to have lived my life with you.” She had transformed from a disgraced young woman to Mrs. Fulcher, respected by all in Richburgh. Julian even took care of her in person when she
He blurted those words instinctively.He had been waiting so long for a pair of daughters, yet when the doctor came over, he saw a pair of sons instead.Diana thought the hospital must have made a mistake and kicked up a fuss, insisting that she had a pair of daughters. She insisted for them to check the footage from the surveillance camera to see if there was a mix-up. The culprit, Julian, could only stand guiltily at a corner and mumble, “Actually…sons are fine too.”As long as it was their children, it didn’t matter whether they were girls or boys. Either way, Diana was the only woman he loved his entire life. Even his love for his only daughter Betty didn’t match up to that.After witnessing Diana giving birth, Julian’s love for Diana went up a notch, to the point of paranoia.For the rest of their lives, he made sure to never let her worry or touch cold water.He took great care of her.Kate finally appeared two years after Diana gave birth.When the mother and daughter
Nina mentioned the Jenningses. “The Jennings family is gone overnight, just like that.”Diana wasn’t shocked.She guessed that Julian had wanted to do that for a while. Not just for her and to seek justice for the Lemmington family, but also for Simon.Although Julian never allowed Simon to call him his brother, he had wanted to annihilate everything that was involved with the Hughes family since Simon’s death.Him making his move on the Jenningses indicated that the time had come.“Congratulations,” Diana said to Nina. “Has Vans come back to you?”“No,” Nina said with a shake of her head. “Lina Jennings isn’t the only thing standing in between us. We have problems of our own to overcome.”Diana sighed. “I think Marcus is pretty good.”She felt relaxed and comfortable around him.Even if Vans came round and worked with Julian to bring down the Jenningses, and had no feelings whatsoever for Lina, Diana wasn’t exactly eager to be with him.As if they had telepathy with each oth
“He doesn’t need to be jailed,” Fanny said, confused. “One word from him, and his lawyers will be able to exonerate him. I just don’t understand why he’d rather go to jail.”“He wants to pay for his father’s sins,” Diana said with a sigh.Fanny didn’t know what to think of that. Was Oliver innocent, or not? He even went to such great lengths to stop her.Yet, the moment she declared that she would never compromise and would rather be under the protection of Diana than to be involved with Oliver, he clearly looked like he was in a daze.Diana noticed that Fanny hardly smiled over the past few days, and rubbed her hand comfortingly. “He just wants a clean start with you.”Fanny’s heart shook. She couldn’t sleep the entire night.The next morning, she told Diana, “Today’s the day of his trial and sentencing. I want to see him.”Diana asked Julian to send a few bodyguards with Fanny on her trip there.When she returned, she looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoul
Fanny bet that he wouldn’t dare.That was equivalent to eliminating all chances he stood with Diana.Julian witnessed the scene unfolding before him. Instead of getting frustrated, he stood quietly there, ready to protect Diana, as he watched Fanny and Oliver fight it out with each other.Oliver was confused. “Why not?”He glanced at Diana, and went on, “I did like Diana in the past, but I have since given up on those feelings for her. Fanny Smith, is your heart made of stone? Can’t you tell who the woman I like is after all this time?”Fanny was stunned, feeling suffocated as if something was stuck in her throat. “Don’t tell me it’s me.”Oliver was dumbfounded. Who else could he be talking about? The stars in the sky?Fanny felt indignant under his glare. “If you like me, why did you say that I’m just a child-bearing tool for you?”“If I didn’t say that, would I be able to keep you confined in the villa? Would I be able to dash all your hopes and make you feel hopeless?”
Oliver would never let her go. “Fanny Smith, don’t even think about leaving me in this life!”That was when Diana and Julian hurriedly made their way.Sean located Oliver very accurately. Diana saw the scene unfolding before her, and couldn’t help but recall everything that happened in Jacroaof. She hurriedly told Noel to take Sean outside and wait. She couldn’t afford to gamble on Sean’s safety. She didn’t want Sean exposed to any form of danger right under her nose.Her actions made Oliver tense. “Diana, do you think I’ve gone mad?” He grabbed Fanny’s hand, as if he was holding onto the most precious treasure in the world.Diana didn’t answer him, but she threw her bag that Julian was helping her carry toward Fanny.She was exerting so much force for a pregnant lady, looking as if she wanted to fight with Fanny.Even Julian didn’t know what Diana was trying to do, not to mention Fanny herself.By the time he snapped back to attention and wanted to stop Diana from doing s
However, Fanny must let go of her hatred and past grudges first.The mention of children made Fanny waver. The hatred in her eyes grew even more intense. “Oliver Channing! The cheek of you to mention children!” What gave him the right to say that?!“We agreed,” Oliver said. He didn’t find anything wrong with that. “Fanny, if you want to leave that villa and be free once more, you must give birth to a child of ours.”“What about the child I lost just a few days ago?” Fanny demanded. She found him unreasonable. “Over the past few days, have you ever thought of him, or felt like you let him down? We haven’t even resolved the issues between us, and you want me to get pregnant again. Are you really ready to be a father?!”“I want you to get pregnant again?” Oliver said as he drew closer to her. His eyes were dark, looking as if he wanted to crush Fanny and put her in his pocket. “Weren’t you the one who tried to seduce me by wearing a revealing dress in my house? Fanny Smith, do
Julian stopped talking to the butler, but he was already making plans in his heart.He returned to the study, and told Diana, “Fanny and Oliver have been fighting for a long time, and it might be over something that might potentially destroy their relationship.”In fact… “Fanny might no longer love Oliver right now.”However, the fact that Oliver faked her death and confined her was enough to show that he still cared for her.If he realized that Fanny no longer loved him, he might do something even crazier.“Let’s hurry up and save her, then!” Diana said.“Wait,” Julian said calmly, “I’m not done with my prediction.”“What?”“Oliver really doesn’t like you now.” Julian’s mood lifted as he arrived at his final conclusion. “We can step in to help Fanny.”Diana was dumbfounded.She had thought that Julian went to such great lengths to analyze the situation for the sake of saving another. To think that his possessiveness took over, and he prioritized figuring out Oliver’s feeli
The three of them entered the study.None of them expected to see a portrait of Diana right in the middle of the study.The portrait was most likely drawn by copying a photo. In the portrait, Diana was eating something with a smile. It looked like the day when Diana encountered a pervert on the train and Oliver stepped in to help her and treated her to a meal.Did she smile so tenderly at him at that time?“You couldn’t have smiled so happily at that time when we were fighting over Kayla.”It was a portrait, not a photo. It was likely that the owner of this portrait added his own interpretation and features when he commissioned this portrait.“He still has feelings for you,” Julian said coldly.He no longer wanted to interfere with the affairs of the Channings.However, Diana disagreed. “If he really had feelings for me, he wouldn’t hang my portrait up so boldly right here.”The fact that Oliver could display the portrait for all to see proved that his feelings for Diana were