The hypermarket Diana mentioned was an ordinary wholesale marketplace. Nothing fantastic would be found in that kind of place.Diana had some design talent and aptitude, but she clearly overestimated herself.Those were Julian's thoughts. His curiosity about her past vanished instantly, and he said, "Hmm. Though you don't have the ability to do as you said, it's good to be confident."With that said, he sat at his desk with an indifferent look. Though his expression was blank, he was clearly taunting her for not knowing her own worth.It was also telling Diana that no matter how rotten Kayla was as a person or how many awful things she did, he would still protect Kayla as he always did.Diana lowered her head, and her lips curled into a mocking smile. "If that's the case, why not just divorce me? Isn't it better to do that and give Kayla an official place in your home so it’ll be easier to love and protect her? Grandma already knows about this, but you still want to leave at such
Julian fixed his cold gaze on Diana. "At first, I was really concerned about Grandma's health. Now that you're done talking, I finally understand why I haven't divorced you. Naturally, it's not because of Grandma's health. Do you know what the reason is?"He leaned even closer to Diana as he spoke, and she could feel his breath by her ear. The closeness and his broad shoulders exuded a domineering pressure that trapped her."What is it?" Diana asked, gripping the couch tightly. She wouldn't allow him to see her weakness and stubbornly held her head high."Because..." Julian's smile was cold. It hurt to see it, but there was also a hint of ruthless determination in his eyes. "The more you want to be with Oliver, the more I don't want to let you have your wish. The more you suffer at my side, the more I want to keep you! This is the best punishment for you! I'll keep you by my side and make you suffer all your life!"He saw that Diana wanted to escape and was in pain, but he wanted
Kayla occasionally pulling such a stunt was in fact proof of her love for Julian. It was time to have a proper talk with Kayla. This was what Julian had in mind when he made his way to her room, only to find it empty. His heart skipped a beat, and it felt like someone had stabbed him with a knife. It was as hard to breathe as the day he learned that Kayla had disappeared three years ago. He was in such a state that he almost stumbled as he went downstairs."Where did Kayla go?!" "She returned to the Winnington residence, sir," Albert replied with an oddly pale face, not daring to say more than needed.Julian felt air enter his lungs when he heard that and heaved a sigh of relief, collapsing on the couch.It was good she hadn't disappeared.If something happened to Kayla because of him, he would be miserable the rest of his life.As he cycled through his anxiety and relief, Diana watched coldly from the sidelines. She slowly crossed her arms, adopting a defensive pose as she sp
Move back into the villa...Wasn't that more dangerous than not getting a divorce?Diana subconsciously touched her stomach, warning bells ringing furiously in her mind.However, Julian argued his case. "We just need to tell her that we know we were wrong this whole time, and that we'll definitely aim to let her hold her great-grandson this year. If you coax her well enough, she'll definitely let you move back here. After a while, when she lets her guard down, that'll be the time to go through the formalities and get divorced."Next time, there wouldn't be any more accidents."Don't worry," Julian said when he saw Diana frowning. She was shooting him a suspicious look, clearly reluctant. Pushing forward, he gave her another assurance. "I won't let Kayla wait too long."Diana was the one who had reminded him of this. Seeing that Julian had finally listened to her properly, Diana didn't know if she was more heartbroken or joyful to finally get her divorce. She didn’t have tim
They soon arrived at the Fulcher Manor. Madam Fulcher was all smiles when she heard that Diana was moving back to the villa. She turned and asked Julian, "Where’s Kayla? Is she still living at the villa? I won't allow Diana to return there if that woman is still there!"Diana felt her heart warm at Grandma’s words. It was touching how the old woman was always looking out for her.It was obvious that Julian hadn’t considered that. He had wanted to bring Kayla back to the villa the next day, but now that Madam Fulcher had brought up this topic, he couldn't help but reconsider.It was inconvenient for Kayla to stay at the villa before his divorce from Diana was finalized, and it would be bad for Kayla's reputation if word got out that she was staying with Diana in the same villa.On top of that, Madam Fulcher would also be angry.Now that Kayla's vocal cords were in a stable condition and it would be fine as long as she continued going to checkups in the hospital, there wasn't much n
Julian paused. Then, he said, "I already told you that we have to put up a realistic act. You need to move back into the villa and your room."With that said, he watched the servants setting things up in the bedroom silently before heading downstairs."Albert."Albert was in the kitchen, speaking with the chef about the next day's dishes. When he heard Julian calling him, cold sweat broke out on his head. "S-Sir...""Come with me to my study.""I’ll go with you, sir," Noel said.Usually, Noel only stayed in the villa if he had something to do. However, he hadn't left today. Julian studied the father-son pair and instantly understood. "Alright."When the door to the study closed behind them, Noel knelt before Julian. Albert followed quietly and stood in the doorway, placing his ear to the door to listen to what was happening inside."Albert is hostile toward Diana," Julian said, his eyes fixed on the heavy wooden door of his study. He turned to sit on the couch and looked co
By the time everything was cleaned up and settled, it was already ten at night.Diana's appetite had gotten better as her nausea and retching had decreased recently. She would crave something sour if she weren’t sleeping at this hour, such as a sour tomato soup or the like…If the dish had more sourness in it, it would be delicious for her and dispel the urge to throw up. However, these kinds of food were merely junk food to Madam Fulcher and Julian. From the beginning of the marriage, she wouldn't get to eat any of those dishes unless she went out with Nina. Julian thought the food wasn’t hygienic. Plus, as Mrs. Fulcher, Diana needed to be mindful of her image. Others were bound to make a big deal if she ate such cheap food.Madam Fulcher would retire early for the night when Diana lived at the Fulcher Manor. When her craving was particularly intense, she would order takeaway in secret. It was easy to do so back then, and she wouldn't be caught. Yet, here...Looking at the brigh
This was bliss!That was the only thought in Diana's mind as she picked up her utensils and took a bite of her freshly baked bread and a sip of her sour tomato soup. Popping a piece of bread in her mouth, she savored the flavor on her tongue as her toes curled in satisfaction.Oh, it was just so delicious!She added more tomato paste to the dish to increase its sourness as she ate. Though it was weird to add tomato paste, it was the only thing to increase the sourness of the dish. Besides, it was normal for pregnant women to have weird cravings and food combinations. The more she ate, the more hungry she got. She managed to finish two servings in a single sitting.Whoa, she really broke the record this time! She had thought it would be impossible for her to finish both dishes.She hadn't expected her appetite to be so good. It must’ve been because it had been a stressful day trying to hide and endure everything Julian threw at her today. Now that most of the things had been reso
“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