Diana was rather worried. “Where did she go?” Julian tried to calm her down. “I think I know.”Diana glanced at him, anxious. “Do tell!”Diana was clearly very worried for Kate, given how anxious she was.Julian hemmed and hawed, deliberately teasing her. “Tell you? Tell you what?”He seized the chance while Kate and Betty weren’t around to lean in close to Diana.Like a huge dog deprived of tender loving care, he rubbed the tip of his nose against Diana’s and deliberately breathed hot air into her face. “Hmm? Tell me, what do you want me to say?”They hadn’t been this intimate for a long while.They had been fighting before Diana came to Jacroaof. After witnessing Jim and Simon’s death, they weren’t in the mood to catch up with and whisper sweet nothings to each other. It was only until this moment that Julian could no longer hold back his desires for Diana. He missed her badly. He really wanted to draw close to her.But because of Simon, he didn’t dare to tell her that
“Julian, we’ve been through so much, it can be written into a thick book. Do you still not understand? We must always look ahead in life. If we remain stuck in the past, it’s not fair to anyone. Simon is dead—we have no way of bringing him back to life, but we can live better and happier.“In fact…” Diana went on, biting her lip. “I will remember him my whole life. I’ll be grateful to him, and I may even love him. However, it’s not the romantic love between a man and a woman. It’s love between family members, gratitude to people who have left us but done so much for us.”Julian finally revealed what he had been hesitant to say. “There’s a letter here. Take a look at it. Even if you have a change of mind after reading it, I’ll accept whatever decision you make.”Diana was stunned. “Letter?”“Yes. Simon asked me to pass it to you.”Diana took it.The words “To Julian” were written on the envelope. However, the first line of the letter was addressed to Diana, wishing her well.Di
Upon hearing this, Diana stared at him angrily."Julian!" She shoved him away abruptly. "What are you thinking?"Back in the lab, what happened between her and Jim was just a trick. Given the circumstances, she believed it was worth being close to him if it meant Julian and Betty would survive.Yet, Julian seemed to have taken this incident to heart."Are you disgusted by me? No wonder you've been distant these days."He hadn't been affectionate or held her close. After enduring so much hardship, he shouldn't be this indifferent.Now, she finally understood why!Julian didn’t hesitate to step forward, refusing to retreat at her forceful push. He pulled her closer, pledging with both hands raised, "I swear, I really don't mind! But it's still uncomfortable thinking about it."As he spoke, his hand had already cradled the back of her head. "Stay still."Without another word, he intertwined their fingers and leaned in for a kiss. His voice deepened with an undeniable seriousness.
All his life, Simon had wanted the recognition of the Fulcher family. Yet, until his death, Julian never acknowledged him as a brother.Simon also never saw Betty acknowledge him as a blood-related uncle instead of just a close family friend.Diana decided to tell Betty everything about Simon. She felt that Betty was old enough to understand many things. She believed Betty had the right to form her own opinions and impressions about Simon.After listening, Betty remained silent for a long while. Then, she looked at Diana and asked, "Mommy, do you think Uncle Simon was a good person?" After all, he had done terrible things to Diana. He caused a rift between her and Julian, and keeping Betty and Sean away from Julian. But now, Simon had sacrificed himself to protect them. For the first time, Betty felt the complexity of human nature."Yes," Diana responded decisively. "I think he’s a good person. He just...never received love when he was younger, so he didn't know how to love."
To their surprise, upon returning home, they were greeted with unexpected joy that somewhat alleviated the grief and helplessness from Simon's demise.Diana's face was radiant with genuine delight. "Sean!" As soon as she opened the door, a little boy rushed towards her, wrapping Diana in a tight embrace. "Mommy!"It had been so long since they were apart. Sean's eyes welled up with tears.Turning his gaze upwards, Sean looked at Julian and remarked cheekily, "Hey, lousy dad."Julian blinked, taken aback. Had he offended this little troublemaker?"He said you upset Mommy," Sean recounted, referring to what he had heard from Lucas.Julian's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you telling me you're really the one who sabotaged my company's computer system?!"Sean nodded confidently. "You weren't treating Mommy right, so I thought you needed a lesson!"Julian was left speechless.With both Sean and Betty around, Diana was in high spirits. She was constantly surrounded by her tw
Upon learning that members of the training squad had also been consuming drugs, authorities quickly arrived. They retrieved Leonard's body and took it to the police station. This sudden revelation led to the training squad's abrupt disbandment without prior notice. As for what would happen next, there was no news yet.It was for this reason that Sean found himself released from confinement. He managed to get in touch with the people connected to the Fulchers, specifically Noel, who remained in Richburgh. Upon hearing Sean's situation, Noel promptly went to fetch him.Both Julian and Sean tactfully decided not to disclose these details to Diana. They feared it would worry her, especially regarding Sean's experiences with the training squad. However, Sean was resilient. Julian noticed a change in him when they spoke that afternoon. Sean seemed stronger and more independent than before, no longer feeling the need to rely on any organization to mature.Julian thought that Sean wou
Early the next morning, Nina decided to set aside her work. She left home promptly to check on Diana and her two children. Lately, due to her involvement with Vans, Nina felt guilty. Not only had she caused the pregnant Diana undue stress, but she had also indirectly endangered her during the incident in Jacroaof. And now, with Sean back home, Nina felt that she was becoming more incompetent as a godmother.Compelled by her guilt, Nina didn't hold back while shopping for supplies. By the time she exited the supermarket, an hour had already slipped by. With her hands full, she struggled to find a taxi driver willing to accommodate her and her purchases. Only after offering extra money did a driver finally agree to take her.As she pondered her recent experiences, Nina considered it might be time for her to purchase a car. She had been working for many years and had a bit of a career. She had no plans to leave Richburgh, and she was alone in the city. In the future...She di
The unmarried couples standing together, appearing as a perfect match. Not far from Nina, about a hundred meters away, right in front of an upscale bridal store with clear glass windows, she could see Vans accompanying Lina as the latter tried on wedding gowns.Vans stood there, seemingly casual, but his gaze was fixated solely on Lina. From his expression, it seemed like he was smiling, possibly praising Lina's beauty. At that moment, Nina couldn't help but wonder who Vans truly loved deep down.He had always claimed that his relationship with Lina was just an act, a facade for the Stanley family's peace of mind and to ensure his mother's better treatment within the family. But… Did he genuinely feel nothing for Lina?Ignoring Lina's whimsical nature, she was now, after all, the heiress of the Jennings family. With her brother's protection and immense wealth, her demeanor quickly refined over time. Given recent events surrounding the Jennings family, Lina had indeed changed
“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