By the time they returned to Grandview Manor, it was already 4:00 pm. The black Mercedes MPV drove through the thick snow and stopped in the garage.Esther opened the door and helped Willow out of the car. Esther was worried and wanted to stay to take care of her, but Willow refused.Willow stood on the steps, looking up at the falling snow and muttering, "Nothing good ever comes out of worrying about a man."Esther didn't hear what she had said and wanted to ask about it, but Willow had already gone up the stairs. She was clearly freezing and in pain, but she still straightened her back, determined not to embarrass herself in front of someone else. Julian had stripped even her dignity away. Blair went over to help her inside, but Willow gently pushed her away. "I want to walk by myself."Blair couldn't help but start crying at the sight of Willow like that. "What happened to you, Mrs. Ziegler?"Willow hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I wa
Melanie let out a cold huff, but no matter how much she wanted to complain, she didn't dare to go against Dominic.Everyone in the Ziegler family rushed to the villa in the middle of the night. Dominic ordered the best medicine and hired the best doctors for fear that something had happened to Willow.He walked upstairs with the help of a cane while asking Liam, "Where did that bastard Julian go? His wife is terribly sick, so where is he? Is he out having fun, or has he already become a corpse? Even if he's dead, we should have heard about it, right?"Liam lowered his head and cautiously replied, "Julian went to Grandsburg."Dominic was stunned. The light shone on his face, and he seemed to have aged 70 years in a split second. His mouth moved as if he was about to say something, but in the end, he only sighed. "Think of a way to contact him."Liam bowed his head and said he would do his best. That night, Dominic personally watched over Willow. He had allowed Julian to take care o
The snow in Brindley had melted, but Julian still had yet to return. When Willow checked the calendar, she realized it was already the 12th. That meant Cameron's concert would be at 8:00 pm that night.Willow suddenly felt like attending the concert alone, but Blair was worried about her. She nagged, "You just recovered. If you go out, you might catch a cold and fall sick again."Willow replied, "I'll wear a thick down jacket."Blair had no choice but to dig some thick clothes out of the closet and help Willow put them on. She even got a warm cashmere scarf and wrapped it around Willow's neck. "Get the chauffeur to drive you, or I'll tell Mr. Ziegler."Willow agreed. Five minutes later, she was sitting in the black RV. Once Benjamin Henderson, the chauffeur, knew where to go, he hit the gas.The black RV slowly drove out of Grandview Manor, leaving the lit house behind it as the neon lights of the city gradually appeared before it. The lights were in full bloom, filling the sky wi
Casually, Willow replied, "It's good that you'll be back."Julian wanted to say more, but Willow hung up on him. She put her phone away and took the two concert tickets out, which had them seated side-by-side.Her head was lowered as she stared at the tickets for a long time, remembering how excited she had been when she received the news that day. Now, she just felt like an idiot.Thankfully, she wouldn't make the same mistake again. Willow ended up throwing the two tickets into a trash can on the side of the road.She wrapped herself in a thick down jacket and stepped into the cold night. Sometimes, even clothes treated her better than a man. At least her clothes kept her warm on a cold night.It was the afternoon in Grandsburg. A castle-like complex stood near the cathedral. That was the most famous hospital in the area, which had the best doctors in the world. A lot of rich people would have their seriously ill family members treated there.Julian stood at the end of the corr
On the day of the surgery, Julian still had yet to return. Dominic was furious and turned up to accompany her, showing how much he cared for her. Tyler, Liam, and Melanie were with him, too. All of them went to the hospital.Willow didn't care anymore. All she wanted to do was be with her grandmother. Julian could fend for himself.Dominic agreed and left the ward, leaving Willow and Grace alone. The warm yellow light illuminated Grace's hair, making each strand look smoother than ever.Grace was leaning against the headboard as she held Willow's hand. After being alive for so many years, she no longer feared death. She just couldn't bear to leave Willow alone. She was worried that Willow would be lonely, or that people would let her down.There were tears in Grace's eyes as she quietly told Willow about her dream the night before. "I saw my father coming to pick me up. He showed up in a white gilded carriage, and it was huge and luxurious. My father looked so young. He didn't have
The other end of the line was silent for a long time. Willow's heart grew cold, and she could guess what Julian had chosen.She suddenly smiled. It wasn't like she was the love of Julian's life, after all. Why would he change his mind just because she was begging him? He had always been cold-hearted toward her.Eventually, Julian muttered, "I'm sorry, Willow."Catherine had attempted suicide, and her life was in danger. Only Leonard could save her. Julian had weighed the pros and cons and decided to send Leonard's student in his place.Once again, he made many promises to Willow, but she didn't process any of it. Her phone slipped from her hand. It felt like her world was crashing down.It turned out that she meant nothing to Julian. All the hard work she had put in over the years was meaningless compared to some young lady. Meeting him was rotten luck on Willow's part.The unexpected situation caught everyone off guard, and Dominic was more embarrassed than anyone. In an attempt
Grace still hadn't woken up. She was in the ICU.Separated by a transparent glass wall, Willow stood outside, staring blankly. Every minute and every second felt like torture to her.Heather, feeling sorry for her, often brought food to help Willow stay healthy.But Willow could barely eat. In just two days, she had lost so much weight that her chin had become noticeably sharper. Heather tried to persuade her, but it was useless. She could only silently stay by her side.Jeffrey and his sister would drop by occasionally to lend a hand.Seeing Willow refuse food and drink, growing thinner and more haggard by the day, Natalie leaned against her brother's shoulder, her voice trembling with tears. "Willow's going through so much! Why did Julian do that to her? It's so cruel!"Jeffrey knew the reason, but he couldn't say it.Because the truth was even crueler.That afternoon, Dominic sent Liam and his wife over.Liam treated Willow with warmth and politeness, but Melanie wasn't as
Julian wanted to say something.Suddenly, Jeffrey walked over. He grabbed Julian by the collar and shoved him against the wall, accosting, "She begged you. She, a woman so proud, cried and begged you in front of all those people."Julian, are you made of stone? If you had even the slightest bit of warmth in you, you wouldn't have forgotten that Willow is your wife. She's been by your side for four years."Is love really that important? Julian, do you even know what love is?"…Julian threw a punch in return.Jeffrey staggered back a few steps, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He glared at Julian.This was the second time they had fought over Willow.Julian's chest rose and fell sharply. He pointed at Jeffrey and sneered. "Willow is my wife. Jeffrey, what right do you have to interfere in our private affairs?"Jeffrey let out a soft laugh. "I love her. Is that a good enough reason?"Off to the side, Heather froze.Afraid things would spiral out of control, she p
Dominic stepped out of the dimly lit detention center, feeling his heart ache with excruciating pain. A figure in deep red stood at the corner outside.It was Eleanor.Dominic had been expecting her.He walked up to her and said in a low, hoarse voice, "I need to thank you for saving the entire Ziegler family. Without your call, Willow would have lost her life, and the Zieglers' reputation would have crumbled."Beside him, Liam handed over a property deed.Dominic weighed the deed in his hand, carefully choosing his words. "Dexter's prison sentence is certain. As for your future, that's up to you. But as Dexter's elder, this is my token of appreciation."Dominic had gifted her a luxury apartment in Brindley—one worth over 100 million dollars.Eleanor refused to accept it. She had tears in her eyes as she said, "I truly love Dexter. I'm willing to wait for him to come out."Dominic felt deeply saddened. After a long silence, he rasped out, "That bastard doesn't deserve this from
In the early morning at Brindley First Hospital, Willow lay in a clean hospital room, still unconscious. Her face and body were covered in scrapes, and a large bruise had spread across her lower back.Fortunately, there were no severe internal injuries.The doctor called it a miracle.Julian took care of everything and sat by her bedside, waiting for Willow to wake up.Dominic walked in with a cane. When he saw Julian's expression, he sneered. "Acting all affectionate now—too bad no one appreciates it! Come outside with me."Julian glanced at Willow, wiped his face, and followed him out.Outside, Dominic looked at his most accomplished grandson with a stern expression. "Julian, as the CEO of Nebula, you weren't wrong. Canceling the contract would have led to thousands losing their jobs."But Julian, aside from being the CEO of Nebula, you are also Willow's husband. I know you have your own judgment, and you believed Dexter wouldn't do anything reckless. "But there are always u
Two hours later, Julian hurriedly touched down in Brindley.It had rained at noon, and the explosion site was a complete mess. Over a hundred rescue workers were busy carrying out their tasks, along with ten rescue dogs, but the strong scent in the air was affecting the dogs' sense of smell.As soon as Julian got out of the car, he saw Dexter handcuffed with silver cuffs. He was standing in a daze and was being escorted by someone."Dexter, you bastard!"Julian threw a punch. He hit with full force, and Dexter's mouth and nose immediately gushed blood, but he didn't retaliate. He took a step back, still staring blankly in the direction of the abandoned warehouse.Time was precious, and Julian didn't have the time to settle scores with him.He stepped into the mud, discussing the rescue plan with the head of the rescue team and arranging for an additional 80 rescue personnel and professional life detectors.The rain grew heavier, and Julian, not wearing a raincoat, was covered in
Julian was making a gamble. He bet that Dexter wouldn't dare to do anything too extreme.The two of them had played countless games of strategy against each other, and Julian had never lost. But this time, he lost to something unexpected.Julian shot a glance at Esther.Esther froze for a moment, then quickly understood. She immediately arranged for a rescue operation for Willow.Julian steadied his tone and spoke calmly to Dexter. "I will not abandon the signing. Dexter, release Willow now, and I won't pursue this matter. But if you insist on this foolishness, let me make one thing clear—I only see Willow as a tool in my power struggle. You know this, Dexter."In the Zieglers, there has never been love. I don't love her, so don't think you can use her to threaten me."On the other end of the call, Dexter let out a cold laugh. "As expected of Julian! Truly ruthless."Julian paused for a moment. He knew Dexter had softened, so he ended the call decisively. He planned to finish th
At the end of the month, on the eve of the contract signing between Nebula and Aurelia, a grand banquet was held at Skyview Hotel in Yarrowmere, attended by the senior and mid-level executives of both corporations.Julian wore a classic black-and-white suit, standing tall and elegant. He was the object of admiration for many women.However, he wore his wedding ring and maintained a distant demeanor, so no one dared to slip him a room key.Timothy approached him with Heather for a conversation. Upon seeing the admiration in the eyes of many women, Timothy joked, "Julian, next time you should bring Mrs. Ziegler along. These hungry gazes look like they might just devour you."Julian smiled faintly. "Timothy, you're exaggerating."Timothy patted Heather's hand, signaling that he had something private to discuss. She smiled politely and walked away to mingle.Once she left, Timothy spoke solemnly to Julian. "Don't take Jeffrey's actions to heart. It's normal for young people to someti
Willow bought 20 of the painter's completed works and wrote him a check for 30 instead, which made him very satisfied.Willow smiled faintly.After the artist left, she turned to Annie, who looked puzzled. "I know you're wondering why I paid such a low price. It's because I don't want money to wear away his artistic spirit too soon. Among this generation of young artists, I think he has the most potential—even more than Charlie back in the day."When the time is right, I'll introduce him to the world, and by then, his paintings will be worth a fortune. Even the smallest ones will sell for at least a million dollars."Annie had always trusted Willow's judgment.After finishing their business, they left the club and said their goodbyes in the parking lot.Willow had just opened her car door when a familiar, mocking voice rang out behind her. "Got back together with my cousin?"Willow turned her head to look at Dexter and replied coldly, "What does that have to do with you?"Dexte
Julian could sense the gaze from behind him. He said softly, "When I was in my 20s, I lived abroad alone for a while. I learned back then."Willow didn't ask any further. Their relationship was ambiguous right now. Just because they had been intimate once didn't mean anything.She had no intention of opening up to him. Besides, she was tired and didn't want to argue with him.The pasta Julian made was quite good, and Willow ate most of it.Then, she asked him to leave.As he left, Julian gazed at her deeply. "I'll come again tomorrow."Willow thought he was joking. Julian ran a corporation with 20 thousand employees—he didn't have that much free time.But the next day, when she returned from the gallery, her apartment was brightly lit, filled with the aroma of Wisteran cuisine and red wine.That bottle of red wine was one of Willow's cherished collectibles, something she couldn't bear to drink. And now, it was sitting there on the dining table.Willow slowly closed the door an
At 10:00 pm, Willow had just taken a shower. She changed into a silk bathrobe, feeling loose and relaxed.She sat in front of the dressing table, applying her skincare products.Suddenly, a subtle noise came from the door. It was the sound of a key turning in the lock.Willow was about to walk to the living room to check it out when the uninvited guest had already let himself in.It was none other than Julian.Willow sat back on the chair in front of the dressing table and observed him through the mirror.He had some snow on his shoulders and his hair was dark and shiny. It was obvious that he had been standing in the snow for some time.Willow asked softly, "Where did you get the key?"Julian placed the key on the dressing table in front of her, saying matter-of-factly, "I made a copy."Willow sneered, "You're really impolite."Julian stepped behind her and put his hands on the back of the chair. He looked deeply at her through the mirror, as if he was trying to see straight
That afternoon, Willow's name shot to the top of the trending topics."Nebula Group CEO's wife is infertile!""Julian Ziegler's Stands by His Wife: A Love Stronger Than Gold."Along with the headlines was a blurry photograph, presumably taken last night when Julian was holding Willow.Within moments, the topic surged to the top of the trending list.Nebula Group's PR team acted swiftly, spending money to have it taken down.But in just half an hour, the discussion reached an astonishing 78 million views, with over 40 thousand reposts.Thousands of women online envied Willow's good fortune for having a husband who loved her deeply.Willow found it ironic.She was in a bad mood, so she left the gallery earlier than planned. She drove her white Rolls-Royce Spectre aimlessly around the streets before parking in the plaza outside an amusement park.She sat on the hood of the car and stared at the Ferris wheel that was turning slowly.At 4:00 pm, snowflakes began to fall.The air