Noon.
In a high-class restaurant in the city center, Olivia and Julie sat in a relatively quiet spot, waiting for someone.
After a while, they saw a bright and seductive young woman enter through the door and walk towards them."Madame!" When Jessica saw Olivia, her steps quickened, and not long after, she hurried over to them and greeted them with a smile.
"Jessica, you're here!" When Olivia saw Jessica, her face lit up with a gentle smile and she gestured for her to sit.
Jessica placed her bag on a seat nearby as she sat across from Olivia, and at that moment, the waiter approached with the menu.
"Mrs. Murray, may I ask if anyone from your party has arrived? Can we go ahead and order?"
"Julie, I'll let you help me make my decision." When Olivia said this, she looked at Jessica again. "Jessica, order whatever you'd like to eat."
"I'm fine with anything, just let Julie order for me." Jessica said with a smile, and upon hearing th
"Auntie, I understand what you mean, but... They've already received confirmation. If my parents found out about this, I fear they would blame me for interfering in someone else's marriage..." Jessica asked, her face filled with hesitation."Since you have these concerns, forget it, and just pretend I didn't mention it. I thought you really liked Nicholas, and I really liked you, that's why I'm telling you this. But forget it, it's just that our two families are not meant to be one and cannot marry." Seeing that she was hesitant, Olivia immediately retracted everything she had said, revealing a look of regret."Aiya, Auntie, you know clearly that I like Nicholas, why are you so anxious to say these words? I didn't say I didn't want to. Even though they were married, it's not like they couldn't get divorced. In today's society, there are many people who have divorced." Upon hearing her words, Jessica became anxious again."Jessica, remember, when you're with Nich
"Ma'am, you just have to decide on this matter, you are Bryan's grandmother, so whoever you choose for him is definitely the best." She looked at the information on the tea table and smiled.Olivia never thought she would actually be so obedient this time, and before this, she placed a lot of importance on group education. To teach her son well, she didn't even hesitate to disagree with Julie. This time, she really didn't express any objection and handed the decision directly to her, which really left her incredulous. However, Olivia was still very pleased with her attitude, so she nodded."Well, since you say so, then I will make the decision." After saying this, she turned to look at Julie beside her. "Julie, contact the kindergarten director and inform him that we will meet with him tomorrow.""Madame, do we need to prepare an interview or something?" Clarice asked at this point."Interview?" After Olivia heard this, she laughed out loud. "My grandson
"‘We'll always be happy,’ Nicholas lowered his head and kissed her lips.The next morning, dressed in new clothes and accompanied by Clarice, Bryan arrived at the International School's Children's Department, and everything went well. When she handed the child over to the teacher, she was instructed to pick him up on Friday afternoon.After a moment of questioning, she realized that Olivia had arranged for her to attend class with him.She didn't understand Olivia's intention, but since she had made such arrangements, she didn't have much to say, so she could only take them all to school. When Nicholas returned in the evening, he discussed this with him.As Clarice drove on the road, she thought about how Olivia could ask about her safely.Did she have something she wanted to say to her? Or did she feel that she had left Bella alone at home all day to make her unhappy?However, no matter what, she had to get home first.The accele
It was a rare night for Nicholas to come home early, so they had dinner together at the table. Although Nicholas was a little surprised by Jessica's arrival, he didn't mind much, and during dinner, his gaze would stay forever on Clarice and wouldn't stray from her for a moment."'Clarice, how is he feeling when you sent him to kindergarten?' While they ate, Nicholas asked Clarice.'Bryan is quite obedient and seems more suitable for school life. However, when I asked the teacher today, he told me that we would only bring him on weekends.''So I couldn't see him five days a week?' Nicholas frowned, it was only now that he remembered that when he came home, this little troublemaker didn't show up. Originally, he thought he had attended kindergarten for a day, and now that he was tired, it was time to rest.'I'm not sure about that, maybe kindergarten made a mistake. I was planning to go back tomorrow and change Bryan to a daycare.' Clarice pretended not to know.'You don't need to go to
"In fact, you don't want me to overdo it, just say it out loud, Mom isn't an irrational person," Olivia said, turning to look at Julie. "Julie, go with the driver to the kindergarten now, bring Bryan back and tell the teacher that he will stay during the day only.""Yes, ma'am, I'll go now." Julie also saw how Nicholas was about to lose his patience, and after receiving the order, she didn't dare to delay any longer and quickly turned around and left the dining hall.Seeing this, the corners of Clarice's mouth unconsciously curved into a smile, which fell into Nicholas's eyes, he also smiled and slowly began to eat. The kindergarten wasn't far from the main house, so when Olivia chose his school, she had already established the principle of proximity to it. Shortly after they finished eating and left the dining hall, they were about to go to the living room when Bryan was brought in from outside by Julie."Daddy, mommy, grandma, I'm back." He shouted all the way, trotted and threw him
"What?" Clarice looked at him, confused."You know what I'm asking you, Clarice. Tell me, if you feel uncomfortable, I can take you out of here at any time." Nicholas' deep eyes looked her up and down, and his voice was gentle."Are you talking about Jessica? Don't worry, I have faith in you and don't hold her against you." Clarice said in a relaxed tone."Actually, you don't need to be like this, this big house is just a symbol of the Murray Family and even if you don't have my mother's approval, you will still be my woman for the rest of your life, and that won't change." Nicholas knew what Clarice was worried about, so he grabbed her small hand and held it in his palm, and said with a low but firm voice.Even knowing that Olivia was very likely not intending to accept her, but as long as Olivia was willing to accept her son from the bottom of her heart and mend the relationship between mother and son, she believed that one day, Olivia would change her opinion about her and accept h
Olivia and Julie continued their conversation for a while before Julie went to bed. Only then did she turn and leave the room, returning to her own quarters.The next morning, after Clarice and Nicholas woke up, they both came downstairs at the same time. As they entered the living room, they saw Jessica coming out of the kitchen, her face full of a smile as she walked in front of Nicholas.Nicholas looked at her and just nodded slightly as a form of greeting.Jessica noticed that he was indifferent, but she didn't take it to heart. She took a step forward and leaned in slightly."Nicholas, I know you like cornbread, so I woke up especially early today and made some for you." She looked intentionally at Clarice and magnanimously invited him. "Clari, come too!"Clarice smiled as she looked at him, then she reached out and grabbed Nicholas's arm, and the two walked towards the dining room.Jessica looked at Clarice's hand around Nicholas's arm, hating her so much that her teeth itched,
Clarice then went to Bella's room to feed her, but as soon as she reached the door, Jessica reached her from behind, grabbed her hand, and looked at her aggressively."Clarice, you did this on purpose, didn't you?" Clarice looked at her, not quite understanding her words."Miss Johnson, what are you talking about? I don't quite understand.""You clearly know that I was the one who prepared breakfast for Nicholas, you..." Jessica wanted to say that Clarice had deliberately used Nicholas to provoke her, but she didn't want to admit that she had been provoked, so she only managed to clench her teeth. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to, and let me tell you, no matter what you do, I won't give up on Nicholas."Clarice was irritated with her, but she was still at the door of her daughter's room. She frowned and used a bit of force on her wrist to free herself from her grip, looking at her with coldness and solemnity."Miss Johnson, I don't know if you're feeling too weak to find a
In the ApartmentAt 10 PMThe two children had already gone to sleep, and Clarice was tired of sitting on the bed, reading. She lay down as well and fell asleep, disoriented. Just as she was drifting off, she suddenly felt as though a familiar palm was gently caressing her cheek.She, who usually slept very lightly, woke up and slowly opened her eyes. Under the faint light, a familiar face appeared before her. When she saw the person in front of her, she felt a mix of surprise and joy.“Nicholas, is that you?”“It’s me,” the other person replied in a gentle voice.“How could you...” Clarice wanted to ask why he was here, but she quickly laughed at herself. “I must be dreaming right now; otherwise, how could you be here?” Nicholas looked at her bitter smile and took her hand, letting her soft hand rest against his warm chest.Powerful, rhythmic thumps vibrated through her palm. The sensation was so real, so reliable.“Nicholas, is it really you? I... I’m not dreaming, am I?” Clarice wa
"Mr. Cassano, this is the butler from the Johnson family. Miss Jessica has just been taken by the police.""What? Jessica was taken by the police? Why?" Nicholas pretended to be surprised as he asked."They said she paid someone to kill on her behalf, but that’s impossible. We believe she must have been wronged by someone. Someone like her would never do such a thing, and she has no enemies." The butler explained."Really? If she has no enemies, who would accuse her falsely?" Nicholas asked."Well…" The butler realized he couldn’t win this argument, so he handed the phone over to Mrs. Johnson."Nicholas, it’s me, Auntie. Please, think of a way to save Jessica. After all, her wedding is the day after tomorrow. If the reporters find out about this, even if Jessica is innocent in the end, the reputations of both the Johnson and Cassano families will be affected, and your wedding will be definitely impacted. You need to act quickly." Mrs. Johnson urged."Aunt, don’t rush. How about this?
The person who entered the house first glanced at Nicholas and greeted him with a look, and Nicholas responded with a slight expression. However, Luna pretended not to know anything and asked,"Officers, we heard you're here to apprehend a suspect. Could you explain?""Of course, we know this is the Cassano family, but even if it’s the Cassano family, if someone breaks the law, they will still face consequences," the detective said."Officer, may I ask who you’re trying to arrest?" Nicholas asked."Who is Julie?" The officer looked around the room and asked. When Julie heard her name, she froze, her face turning pale."Julie is here. Why? What has she done?" Luna raised her hand and pointed at her."Miss Julie, you are suspected of murdering a man from our town, Wayne Robust. We are taking you in for questioning." The officer didn’t answer her question but instead walked over to Julie and said sternly."Officer, there must be some misunderstanding!" Olivia exclaimed in surprise upon h
Just then, in addition to the old man from before, a lady entered the room with a basket of vegetables in her hands. Seeing Julie, she asked.“Old man, are there any guests?”“To see Wayne.” The old man said.“Uncle, auntie, Wayne's just had a little chat with me and he's a bit tired. Now that he's asleep, I won't bother you anymore. “As she spoke, she got ready to leave.“Let's eat before we leave.” The old woman wanted him to stay, but her husband looked at her. “She's busy.”“Ah, then I won't send you away. Take care. “The old woman smiled.As soon as she received the amnesty, Julie quickly left the room, and after she left, the old man looked at the old woman with disapproval.“What happened to you? Didn't you see that she was fully armed when she came to the house for fear of being infected by Wayne? Would she dare eat our family's food?”“I didn't think she was like the people who came to our house this morning. I think these people are very nice and don't dislike us.”“Aren't
“I never knew Nicholas' weakness until Clarice and Jessica came along. And Clarice's way of allowing me to find Nicholas' weakness, and Jessica's appearance, was the equivalent of giving me the knife. ”Julie's mind was immersed in the fantasy of revenge, and her expression became fierce. “But, unfortunately, Jessica is very stupid, and to be exposed so quickly, I didn't expect you to find me here.“You really are incredible. You knew how to deal with Nicholas, and yet you chose to blame me. Did you want to make Nicholas fight with me?”“But in the end, you still didn't find out?”Julie now regretted her mistake. After all, although Edward could have become her greatest help, he was different from Jessica, he was very intelligent and couldn't be controlled.“We're in the same boat now. Your goal is to destroy the Cassano Family, and so am I. That's why I think that if we work together, Nicholas will definitely be no match for us.”“Tell me, how can we cooperate?” Upon hearing this, J
"You must be very curious, right? How did I know you were the one hiding behind Jessica?" When Julie sat down, Edward spoke with a smile."Did Jessica tell you? Did she feel like I was using her?" Julie asked."Did she tell me? Do you think a woman with that kind of IQ would even realize she was being used by you?" Edward scoffed."If she didn’t tell you, then you..." Julie’s confusion grew deeper."Isn’t there a saying in this world? If you don’t want others to know about it, do it yourself, because someone else might find out. By the way, I don’t have any enmity with you, so why do you like to frame me? Have you thought about the consequences of being discovered by me?" Edward spoke, deliberately leaving out what had happened 30 years ago. Instead, he seized Julie and asked Jessica to incriminate Edward, causing a misunderstanding between him and Nicholas."Did you invite me here today to take revenge for me framing you?" Julie, however, was quick-witted and could only respond with
The Next MorningJulie got up early the next morning, had breakfast prepared in the kitchen, arranged for the servants to clean, and went to the garden to tend to the flowers and plants. When Olivia finally got up, Julie served her breakfast. After noticing that Olivia seemed busy preparing for the wedding, she stepped forward and spoke to her."Ma'am, there's something I need to take care of today. I promise it won't take long.""You're leaving?" Olivia frowned. "The hotel will send someone to deliver the menu later, and I wanted you to help me look it over.""It won’t take long. I should be back in about an hour. I’ll contact them at the hotel and ask them to come for lunch. Is that alright?" Julie thought for a moment."Alright, then go and come back quickly." Seeing Julie seemed to be in a hurry, Olivia simply waved her hand and added, "Go ahead."Having received permission, Julie quickly went upstairs to change before leaving.At 9:00 a.m., Edward's people arrived punctually at t
In the Cassano Family's Main House.It was three in the morning when Julie was lying in bed, sleeping deeply.Suddenly, the phone on the nightstand rang. She must have done a lot of bad things over the past years.Although she thought it was revenge, she still subconsciously knew she held two new lives in her hands.Thus, over all these years, she had rarely slept peacefully.Nightmares came almost every night.At that moment, her phone rang again, and on this quiet night, it felt especially deafening.She woke up startled and looked at the clock on the wall opposite her bed. It was three a.m.Why would someone call her at this hour? Frowning, she picked up the phone from the nightstand.The screen’s light was much brighter than her night lamp, making her eyes—accustomed to the dim light—feel uncomfortable as she squinted.When she saw the caller ID was from an unknown number, she assumed it was a call from a scammer but had no intention of answering. She simply hung up.She placed th
As soon as he entered, he saw that Luna and Edward had arrived, and Edward’s forehead appeared to be slightly injured, so he had wrapped it with a simple bandage.“What happened to you?” Nicholas asked when he saw this.“What’s going on? Wasn’t it your lovely fiancée who did this? I was in need of a cut for you this time. Think about how you’ll make it up to me when the time comes.” Edward crossed his legs and bit into an apple as he spoke.“President, why did you call us here so urgently? Is there something important?” Luna asked.“Yes.” Nicholas nodded. “Over the past two days, I’ve been thinking about Julie’s pregnancy. I now have an answer in my heart, and it’s far from the truth.”“What are you trying to say?” Edward asked.“I suspect that the father of Julie’s child is actually my father!” Nicholas fell silent for a moment before speaking in a deep voice.“What?” When Edward heard this, he was so shocked that he didn’t even have time to swallow the apple crumbs in his mouth. He