Growing tense, Mia quickly nodded. She was just about to leave when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of her eye.A sudden chill ran down her spine. It was Zayn!He wasn't alone. Florence was there, and surprisingly, so was Layla.At that moment, Angela also sensed something was wrong. Following Mia's gaze, she spotted Zayn sprinting toward them as if he were running a 50-meter race.Even from a distance, they could see how much force he was exerting to get to them, as if he were terrified that if he were even a second too late, Mia and Leo would vanish before his eyes.Damn it! How did they get here so fast?"Mia, don't you have something to say to me?" Zayn demanded, his voice low and laced with accusation, before he even came to a complete stop.It had only been a few days, yet he seemed to have lost so much weight that he was almost unrecognizable. His eyes were dull, and he looked lifeless.Just then, he spotted his son—the baby Mia had giv
Gritting her teeth, Mia spat, "Zayn, if you have even a shred of conscience left, let me leave and stay out of our lives!""It isn't like that. It's not…" Zayn was in visible agony as he was accused by the woman he loved.His face contorted in pain, but at this moment, there was nothing he could do except offer meaningless words in his defense."Ha!" Angela let out a cold laugh, her eyes filled with mockery as she looked at this spineless excuse of a man. "Are you a child? Don't tell me you're still holding on to your mother's apron strings."You're just a mama's boy who only knows how to obey his mother. Mia must have committed some serious sins in her past life to be stuck with a pathetic excuse of a man like you in this one. I feel embarrassed on your behalf!"Zayn flinched as if Angela's words had physically hurt him. He abruptly stood up, his eyes filled with desperation. "Angela, please don't say that. You have to help me—I truly care for her. I'll take responsibility as a
"How can there be such a shameless family in this world? I'm so annoyed!" Gritting her teeth, Angela cursed indignantly.Dexter looked a little resigned. "Some of Zayn's actions may seem irrational, but given the circumstances, it makes sense. After all, he isn't that young anymore, and having a baby didn't come easy for him…""Mia went through so much pain to give birth to that baby." Angela shot him a glare."You know, if you ever have a baby, you'll probably be an extremely protective mother," Dexter remarked, feeling both exasperated and amused.As soon as he said that, both of them froze.Angela felt a strange tightness in her chest, and for the first time, she didn't retort.Right then, the sound of Leo crying came from the guest room. Angela rubbed her face, quickly composing herself before rushing toward the sound."What happened?" She stepped inside.Mia didn't look too good. "I just fed him."Angela took Leo in her arms, gently cradled him, and rocked him to soothe h
"Mrs. Jewell, what's the meaning of this?" Angela rolled down her car window, crossing her arms as she looked at the middle-aged woman who was adamantly trying to argue her way inside to see her grandson.Hearing Angela's voice, Florence turned around. The moment their eyes met, her face twisted with anger."Angela, tell this man to get out of my way! I want to see my grandson! Who does he think he is to stop me?"Her voice was so sharp and grating that it was irritating to hear.Frowning in distaste, Angela instinctively backed off. "Oh, so you're here to see your grandson? I almost thought you came here to start a fight."I mean, look at you—you stormed here empty-handed and with this aggressive attitude. Anyone would misunderstand. Next time, why don't you bring a little something as a gesture of goodwill?""This is my family's matter. It has nothing to do with you, you insolent woman! Mind your own business!" Florence was so furious she was practically smoking from the ears.
"Mia, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I made you suffer. I deserve to die—I really do!" At least Zayn was admitting fault properly, like a spineless fool with no fight left.Angela watched the scene unfold from the third-floor balcony, feeling a bit melancholic.Love and marriage were indeed two very different things. Back then, the love between the two had been so strong that it could make anyone envious. Yet, it was nothing but a complete mess now.Maybe it was true that marriage was love's final resting place."What's on your mind?" Dexter suddenly appeared and walked over, stopping right behind her.He was holding two glasses of red wine. It was as if he knew she was in a bad mood and had come to help her relax."Don't you think it'd be great if people could just date without ever getting married?" Angela blurted out without a second thought.Dexter was momentarily stunned. "Sure, I'm fine with that. Whatever you want."Angela almost choked on her wine. After a long pause,
Had Angela fallen for Dexter once again? Was she still as powerless against him as before?No, this couldn't happen.Angela took a deep breath. "Dexter, I have more important things to do, and I love myself the most."She would always love herself, her freedom, and everything she truly wanted to love."I don't want to go back to who I used to be, and I won't give up anything for you. I admit that my heart is wavering because of you, but I—""Then that's more than enough!" Dexter only heard what he wanted to hear, quickly pulling her closer into his embrace. "As long as you have feelings for me, that's all that matters. This is great!"His voice was deep and filled with exhilaration. It was as though he'd conquered the entire world.He was holding her so tightly that she could barely breathe. It rendered her unable to say a single word."Angela, don't be a coward. What's the harm in giving me a chance?" Suddenly letting her go, Dexter stared straight into her eyes while forcing
Dexter hastily grabbed Angela's wrist. The once arrogant, self-important man who'd never cared for anyone his entire life was now showing rare humility. "Alright, alright. You're the boss, okay?"At the moment, he was a man with a touch of arrogance, a hint of resignation, and an awkward charm.Angela's heartbeat showed no signs of slowing down, and a hint of joy crept out from the bottom of her heart.Damn it. Had she really fallen for him?"Just get lost for now!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she froze, feeling instantly awkward.She had meant to tell him to step aside.Dexter looked stunned, a hint of hurt crossing his gaze. He had no choice but to step back resignedly, but his gaze never left her as he watched every flicker of emotion in her expression.Angela instinctively turned away, avoiding his piercing stare. Her mind was a mess—she felt trapped in a giant net and felt at a loss.Just then, she caught sight of Mia heading back in without that scumbag Zayn with
Mia was right. What was Angela afraid of?She'd already won against Dexter once. In this relationship, the tides had long since turned in her favor. If she wanted, she could cut ties with him at any moment. If anyone should be worried, it was Dexter."Is that so?" she asked.Mia sighed helplessly. "It depends. Do you want a loyal partner who will stay by your side forever, give you his whole heart, and even lay down his life for you? Or do you prefer fleeting romances from the dazzling world outside?"Angela quickly waved her hands, looking a little embarrassed. "Stop it. Don't talk nonsense. I may let my eyes wander, but I'll never cross the line."…Meanwhile, Dexter and Zayn were also trying to find comfort in each other's company.Dexter had grabbed two bottles of beer on his way down. At the moment, they were in Zayn's car, clinking bottles from time to time.Slumped like a wilted flower, Zayn had been grumbling nonstop about his miserable life ever since Dexter had gotten
Angela trembled violently as she stood frozen in place. Her already pale face instantly lost all color.Sure enough, what was meant to come would come, no matter how hard she tried to avoid it."Grandma, this has nothing to do with you." Dexter suddenly stepped forward in three quick strides, planting himself firmly in front of Angela. Every word he spoke was powerful and resolute.Angela was slightly stunned. His back was like an unbreakable wall—solid and unyielding.Natalie, however, was utterly shocked. She stared at Dexter in disbelief. "What do you mean by that? Isn't the child she's carrying yours? You two have only been divorced for a while. Don't tell me she already has someone else's—""Grandma!" Dexter cut her off sharply before she could say anything more offensive. "I said this has nothing to do with you."With that, he turned around, grabbed Angela's arm, and led her out the door. "Where do you want to go? I'll take you.""Home," Angela replied hoarsely. She looked
Dexter stood motionless outside the room for what felt like forever until Natalie approached with the help of Ursula."Dexter, is it true that that woman is pregnant? Is it your child? Is it a child of the Bamford family?" Natalie was unusually excited. There was even a hopeful glow in her once lifeless eyes.Dexter's mind was in chaos. He nodded vaguely, not wanting to say anything more.Alas, Natalie wouldn't stop asking questions, like whether Angela's previously poor health would make the pregnancy risky or who would get custody of the child now that the two of them were divorced."Grandma, you should go get some rest. We haven't even discussed all of this yet." Dexter finally couldn't take it anymore and gently persuaded her to leave.But just then, someone from Joseph's side came to call him. Dexter had no choice but to get Fiona to stay with Angela while he hurried off.Joseph had also heard about the pregnancy. In fact, the moment the result was confirmed, the news spread
"Why are you stammering like this? Are you even a man?" Fiona gave Dexter a disapproving smack on the back before bluntly revealing the truth. "Angela, you're pregnant."Angela was speechless. What did Fiona just say?She genuinely thought something was wrong with her ears. How could she have heard something so absurd? How could she possibly be pregnant? Hadn't she become infertile after her body had been exposed to something harmful?Even though Dexter had forced her to undergo treatment for a while, it shouldn't have worked that well.Angela's face shifted between pale and flushed a few times. After a minute or two, she finally came back to her senses. "Madam Fiona, are you joking?"She gave an incredulous laugh, suspecting that Fiona didn't want her to be just a friend anymore and wanted her to be her daughter-in-law instead.With a heavy sigh, Fiona pulled out a blood test report. Angela stiffly accepted the undeniable proof and gave it a quick scan, only to be instantly dumb
Joseph's eyes were filled with worry, as if he feared Angela would be left without support in the future.She was about to speak when she suddenly felt a wave of nausea rise in her stomach, causing her to nearly gag. She quickly got up and poured herself a glass of water, barely managing to suppress the discomfort.It seemed like her body hadn't fully recovered yet, as even a little fatigue made her feel unwell."Grandpa, I've been swamped with work recently. I have no energy to focus on anything else," Angela said with a bitter smile before letting out a long sigh.The weight on her shoulders was just too heavy, so heavy that she could barely catch her breath.Joseph looked at her meaningfully, a trace of regret and helplessness crossing his eyes.…It was past 11:00 pm when Angela finally went to the guest room after her conversation with Joseph.By then, she was already physically and mentally exhausted. She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the
Back when Angela and Dexter were still together, Joseph had clearly been biased toward them. Now that they were divorced, Joseph was still unable to let go of Angela. How could anyone tolerate that?"Grandma, Aunt Ursula, Grandpa treated Angela very well before. It's only right that she comes to visit him." Dexter's face showed no expression, but his tone was firm.Since he had spoken, Ursula stopped talking. She could sense something was off, but seeing the awkwardness between Dexter and Angela, it didn't really seem like anything was going on. Thinking it over, she decided to stay quiet.Natalie, however, wasn't so easy to deal with.Seeing that Dexter wasn't taking her side, she became annoyed and went straight inside, saying to Angela, "Alright, since you've already seen Joseph, you should go. He needs rest."Upon hearing this, Joseph immediately started coughing, his face turning pale.The exasperated Angela didn't respond to that. Instead, she immediately tried to calm Jose
Jennifer was rather frustrated. In theory, a man like Dexter, who was so charming and outstanding, should have easily won Angela over with all the effort he had put in to make her change her mind.Yet, the stubborn Angela acted like someone who had kicked a drug addiction. She merely observed from the sidelines, refusing to take the bait.Jennifer also believed that Dexter was being too laid-back about this. He was making her create minor issues for Angela, but he hadn't made any big moves himself. How could that work?"Mr. Bamford, if you ask me, you should get your family to help," Jennifer suggested. "I heard Ms. Graham is very close to your grandfather. If you involve him, she will definitely…"She didn't voice the rest of her thoughts.Dexter stared silently into space, as if lost in thought. He didn't say anything for a long time.Jennifer became anxious. "Mr. Bamford, you two have feelings for each other. You can't cut off contact. You need to show up in front of her occas
"You're out of luck. The elevator's to the right—please leave." Angela showed no courtesy as she outright told Jennifer to go. She couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on this drama queen."You…"Jennifer stood up abruptly, furious. "Angela, do you even hear yourself? I'm representing Bamford Co. Since you dare refuse me, does that mean you're not worried that this will anger Mr. Bamford?""Oh, I'm so scared!" Angela made an exaggerated face before smirking, making it clear she wasn't taking Jennifer seriously at all. "If you don't leave now, I'll have to call security.""Then I'll just have Mr. Bamford personally come here to talk to you." Jennifer sneered, waving her phone that had diamond studs on the back."Ms. Graham, you and Mr. Bamford have already gone your separate ways. I'm sure you don't want to have anything to do with him anymore, right? If he comes here to talk to you, your decision will change, won't it?"Angela remained indifferent, looking at Jennifer with
As a woman, Angela might not be the most perceptive in some areas, but when it came to matters of the heart, she knew what she was talking about.She could tell that Ingrid, despite her cold and distant demeanor, truly liked Austin. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come here and swallowed her pride for him.Angela wasn't petty. As long as things could be cleared up over time, she wouldn't hold onto grudges.…In the afternoon, she and Austin held a management meeting to analyze and summarize the recent live commerce project.At the end, they conducted a vote, and more than half of the people fully supported Angela's decision. The rest had no choice but to go along with the majority. With this, Angela had managed to establish herself in the company for the time being.The live commerce gradually fell into a rhythm, boosting sales several times over and bringing Horizon back into the spotlight with consumers.To maintain this momentum, Angela had the HR department hire a group of youn
It was just that Ingrid hadn't quite shifted her perspective yet.At the moment, Angela was wondering whether things could be resolved peacefully. If tensions could be eased, wouldn't that mean she would gain a highly capable ally? Why would she go out of her way to maximize animosity?"What a shame; I absolutely hate cream puffs." Unfortunately, Ingrid wasn't having any of it. She shot a disdainful glance at Angela and the cream puffs.Angela froze for a second. Then, shrugging it off, she simply opened the plastic bag and took a bite of a cream puff."Well, if you've got something to say, go ahead. I've got no time to waste on someone who doesn't appreciate cream puffs." She spoke righteously, as if anyone who disliked cream puffs didn't deserve her respect.Ingrid wore a look of complete bewilderment. She stared at Angela, wondering if she had changed overnight. What was going on today? Had everyone eaten some weird mushroom or something, making them act all weird?"My dad w