Whether it was classes in pre-kindergarten, listening to Diana telling him stories, or anything else, Sean knew that he always improved faster than Betty. He also considered more things compared to his sister.In fact, he could memorize a lot of words and their pronunciation after just looking and saying it once.In contrast, Betty needed to repeat it many times before she could. It was the same for the other children in Sean's class.When playing games with them, they were also not as quick as him.Initially, it was fun when he was always ahead. Gradually, it became boring.As time passed, he became reluctant to speak."If you have a high IQ, perhaps you'll reach my level one day," Julian said. "I can get you into Oracle Club. It's a group where highly intelligent people gather, and you'll have plenty of company at the same level as you."Sean was startled. "Are you also in this club?""Of course," Julian replied. "They're all the same you, always a little ahead of others."S
Thinking about Diana, Sean couldn't help but feel his mood drop again.How could Julian snatch him and Betty away from their mother? How could the man forbid Diana from coming after them? How could Julian stop Betty from having a video call with Diana?Continuous questions piled up in Sean's mind, and he committed everything he had seen to memory.When Sean thought about how Diana was alone at home while he and Betty were living in such a nice house, an overwhelming sense of sadness surged in him.His heart ached for his mother.After showering, he wore his new robe and lay on the bed. After listening to Julian read a few lines of the story, Sean said, "That's not right.""Which part?" Julian was confused. He was reading from his phone word-for-word.There was no way it could be wrong."Your voice is wrong," Sean said disgruntledly. "There's more than one person in this story."He meant that Julian should change his voice to play different characters when he told the story.W
Julian was afraid the noise might disturb Sean, so he quickly answered the call and spoke softly, "I'm fine. I just had to tell Sean a few bedtime stories before he slept, so my throat is sore."Vans was surprised. "Bedtime stories?"Did bedtime stories cause one to have a sore throat?"Those kids are torturers, huh?"Julian was upset when he heard Vans's words. After all, he had always been a protective man."I wanted to let Betty torment me, but Sean didn't let it happen. He said Betty was a girl, and he was vehemently guarded against me when it was bathtime.""They're kinda young to be gender-conscious, aren't they?" Vans mused, somewhat impressed with the two children."Of course not," Julian said. "Did you forget who their parents are?"Vans didn't sound like he was inclined to forgive Diana anytime soon, even though he had been friends with her.Three years ago, Diana left without a word. She didn't tell anyone—not even Nina—that she was back.Even Nina was angry at Dia
"Wait here," the maid said as she hurriedly put away her cleaning tools. She was about to sprint downstairs to fetch the water, but Sean stopped her."Carry," he said.He wanted the maid to carry him downstairs with her.The maid was flattered. She hurriedly washed her hands and picked up Sean before carefully bringing him downstairs.With that, Sean took advantage of his time to pull the maid's hair that was stuck to her clothes. Afraid he would be discovered for his ulterior motives, Sean took a few sips of water. When he returned to his room, he immediately switched the hair Julian had left in the bag in his room.After that, he climbed into the crib again.Only then did he sleep peacefully.When Julian came in, Sean was already deep in sleep."Is that the kid?" Vans said, wanting to look at the child. However, he was waved away. "He's asleep. Get out."Vans couldn't help but taunt Julian as he looked at the child. "What if he's not yours?"Julian had a good idea about i
At the same moment, Diana arrived.Not a single light was turned on in the villa. Where she stood outside the door, it was dark everywhere she looked.It was clear there was no one in the villa.She turned to Noel, who had been following her, with desperation in her eyes, "Where are they?!""They're at the Fulcher Manor," Noel said helplessly. "I've told you many times that no one's here, but you didn't believe me."Diana really didn't believe him. She didn't trust anyone at Julian's side.Even Simon. The man wasn't on good terms with Julian, but she didn't trust him as much as she used to anymore.She needed to find her children. She needed to rely on her own power to bring them back, and never be separated from them again!"Give me your phone," Diana said, a chilling look on her face. The look she gave Noel said that she didn't trust any single one of them devious and cunning people.Noel had already informed Julian of the situation, so there was no need to disobey Diana's
Diana took a deep breath, and jumped into Julian's car.It was a sports car.She didn't know how to operate it.As soon as she got in, she accidentally stepped on the accelerator, and the car zoomed past Julian like an arrow."Diana!" Julian waved his hands vigorously, running towards her as fast as he could, shouting, "Stop! The brakes! Step on the brakes!"The car was going too fast.She could hardly see his figure anymore.She was terrified.Her hands fumbled on the controls haphazardly, but the car accelerated even faster.It even made a buzzing sound, and the windshield wipers wildly swished back and forth, almost shaking the front and rear glass.Maybe she had accidentally touched something, which caused the car to malfunction.At first, she planned to threaten him with her life.In spite of that, threats were just words. She hadn't intended to be so foolish as to risk her own life by driving recklessly!She would never forget the day she gave birth to her babies.I
Diana was an amnesiac. Before she died, she could only recall the most vivid moments in the past three years. She still remembered how her whole body had been stripped naked while giving birth. At first, she was embarrassed when facing so many doctors in her state of undress. Later, when they covered her body with a green surgical gown, her mind miraculously calmed down. By then, she was already experiencing contractions. Lying on the operating table, she grimaced in pain. She asked the doctor if a cesarean section would be more painful than contractions. The anesthesiologist smiled and remained silent. Only after inserting a long needle into her back did he reply, "No, you will fall asleep quickly." Sure enough, she quickly fell into a deep, unconscious sleep. The pain disappeared. Someone pricked her shoulder with a needle and asked if she could feel it. She shook her head weakly. "No." "Doctor, I feel so sleepy." "If you want to sleep, then sleep." The anesth
Soft.It was like petting cotton with her hand.Just a touch made her feel like it would slip away from her fingertips."It's Mommy." Looking at their little faces, tears streamed down Diana’s cheeks.And then came the long recovery period. But from the eighth day of her confinement, she started carrying the two children around by herself.Even the caregivers and postpartum nurses couldn't bear to see it and told her to rest properly, or she would suffer from postpartum illness.But she didn't want to.She not only wanted to hold the children, but also had to breastfeed both of them at night and find time to work during the day.Only with enough money could she repay Simon and raise the two children.As well as give them a carefree childhood.However...When she lay in bed at night and dreamed, when she lowered her head and looked at the scar on her belly, or when she was busy holding the two babies and neglecting other things, or when she couldn't help but yawn repeatedly,
“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