Kayla was obsessed with Julian to the extent of near insanity, and he knew this well. “What if she tries to harm you again and I’m unable to save you in time?”Diana had considered that possibility, but after what happened this time, she managed to eliminate James, who was Kayla’s reliable support. Thus, Kayla was left struggling to survive all by herself.She had also become the target of public criticism in Richburgh, with everyone knowing that she was Julian’s worst enemy.Given all the above, probably no one would dare to be in cahoots with her, or even talk to her.With that, Kayla had become all alone.She was no longer capable of causing any serious trouble.That was one reason why Diana was agreeable to a transaction with her.The touch of the tender skin on her face calmed Julian’s heart, as if he were sitting on a soft and comfortable patch of grass. However, he had never been one to be tempted by beauty, and his reason was still fully intact. “Even if she doesn’t do a
Diana rarely lost her senses like this.At that moment, she only had eyes for him and even disregarded his injuries.Julian was glad to finally have a taste of what it was like to finally have his little rabbit trapped in his claws.Yet, Diana was no little rabbit. Conversely, under Julian’s influence over the past three years, she had a penchant for playing the big bad wolf.She knew she was being reckless, but she couldn’t hold herself and her affections back.She could only hold herself up with her arms and try her best not to exacerbate his injuries.She told herself to stop after getting a taste of him, and to pull out as early as she could.But Julian wanted more.He clearly hadn’t had enough of her. Diana had reason to believe that if he weren’t so grievously injured, he would definitely make her plead for mercy on her knees!“Julian.” Upon seeing him finally calm down, Diana lamented inwardly how useful her kisses were. No wonder Julian often used his kisses against he
Sweat covered Noel’s brows. The president’s assistant, who had always been calm and composed, looked to be in a deep state of panic.Julian’s face turned hard. “Did something happen to Grandma?”Noel immediately nodded at Julian’s question. “Sir, you… You…”He wanted to tell Julian to quickly go and see her.Madam Fulcher was dying!However, the sight of the tubes and needles sticking out of Julian’s body made him swallow those words back. He could only turn to Diana, his face fraught with panic.Because of Albert, Diana had some hard feelings against Noel.But at this moment, she could understand the look in his eyes immediately.Something had happened to Madam Fulcher.Panic filled her heart.The image of Madam Fulcher saying that she would put on an act before Hans right before Diana left her flashed in Diana’s mind. At that point, Madam Fulcher’s eyes looked unfocused and her breathing was unsteady. But when Hans left, the old woman claimed that she was putting on an ac
Madam Fulcher’s situation was much worse than Diana initially expected.Yet the old woman wasn’t warded despite the severity of her condition. That could only mean two possibilities: either there was no need to hospitalize Grandma for emergency treatment, or there were too many patients and the wards were full. Given the Fulcher’s power and status, it was clearly not the latter.Even if the hospital was bursting at the seams, it wasn’t much of a stretch for the hospital to create another wing within a short period of time.It could only be the former.Diana could no longer hold her tears back.Even so, she tried her best to inch closer to Madam Fulcher.Julian could sense the severity of the situation, and panic seized him like never before. He instinctively tightened his grip over Diana’s hand. Diana squeezed his hand back.Thankfully, at this point when their loved one was on the verge of death, they had each other to share their fears and sorrows. But in the face of t
Ultimately, Julian managed to get himself out of danger and even reconciled with Diana.That was most important to Madam Fulcher.She had long acknowledged Diana as her granddaughter-in-law.As such, being able to see Julian sorrowful over Diana and Diana finally understanding his affections for her elated Madam Fulcher.However, her next reaction to that was heartache.She looked at Julian with tears in her eyes.“My sweet…sweet child…”Her grandson and her granddaughter-in-law were both great kids.Her grandson must be hurting right now.Yet, she was no longer able to take care of him.It was time for her to go and find her own husband.She could no longer do anything for her own grandson.Helping him reconcile with Diana was the final act of love she was able to leave him with.Julian's heart felt heavy. It felt even more suffocating than when he was stabbed in the chest. Although he didn’t shed a tear, he was already crying inside.“Grandma,” he choked through a sob.
Cries resounded through the corridor.Diana sobbed so badly, she almost fainted.She was unable to accept that a living breathing person who was as kind and caring as Madam Fulcher would leave her so suddenly! Even at Madam Fulcher’s most painful and torturous moment, she was more concerned with helping Diana see Julian’s heart for her.She was more concerned with helping Diana, a fit and healthy adult, escape from the kidnappers.She was more concerned with helping Diana get more love, and never be hurt again. She was more concerned with ensuring that she was the only one facing the danger, at risk of all sorts of potential accidents.Diana had been far too negligent.She had assumed that Madam Fulcher could do anything.At the end of the day, Madam Fulcher was just another old woman.An old woman with underlying physical conditions, at that. Yet Diana had believed her when she claimed she was just acting, and that she wasn’t in pain or suffering.Diana was such a fool!
Julian’s parents and grandparents had all left him behind.He would no longer see Madam Fulcher jokingly accuse him of being an unfilial brat in the Fulchers’ huge old mansion, nor would he see her help him chase after his wife. From now on, no one at home would drug his food or scheme against him. There would also be no one standing at the gate bidding him goodbye, or calling him again and again, asking if he would be home for dinner.That was his grandmother.But from now on, he would no longer have a grandmother.Julian’s eyes turned red once more.He felt as if someone had rubbed sand in his eyes, so much that tears kept falling from them.Madam Fulcher’s departure would be a pain forever etched in his heart.Diana finally pulled herself out from her pain as she realized that the man next to her needed comfort more so than she did.And yet, she had no idea how to give him comfort. She felt all her energy gnawed up by the guilt multiplying endlessly in her heart. That ni
Even after Julian was done with his explanation, Diana was unable to calm the raging emotions inside her.Her mind was in a complete mess.Not only because she still felt guilty toward Grandma, but also because Julian said that someone was looking for Grandma. She felt a thought flash past her mind, but it went by too quickly and she was unable to pin it down.Julian saw her remain silent for a long time, and his mind churned as he thought of something to comfort her. “Don’t blame yourself anymore. Grandma’s death had nothing to do with you. As an old woman, all she wanted was for her favorite grandchildren to be happy and at peace.”It was why she deliberately lied to Diana that she was putting on an act, had a bet with Diana, and even let Diana flee the place first.She knew it. She knew it all along. It was precisely because Diana knew Madam Fulcher’s intentions—that the old woman risked everything to bring her and Julian together—that she felt even worse about it.But n
“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