“Yes, but I won. Well, now you had to place a bet with me.” Hayden’s heart went out to Kevin. “Alright. I mean what I said. I don’t go back on my word. I’ll take the risk with you.” Now that Kevin had her word, he jolted up and said, “Excuse me, I need to go to the men’s room.” With his hands over his stomach, Kevin ran to the washroom. Hayden burst out laughing. She could tell Kevin’s feelings for her were genuine. A while later, Kevin emerged from the bathroom. “Do you need to go to the hospital?” Hayden asked with concern. Straightening his back, Kevin said, “No. I’m okay. Let’s go for a stroll to help the food settle. Then, we can head out.” He had never eaten so much in his life. He was so full, he had an upset stomach. Fortunately, he won the bet. He won her promise of forever. She gambled on her marriage, but he did too. Hayden rose to her feet and docilely uttered, “Come on. I’ll walk with you.” The pair walked out of the main residence. Hayden took Ke
Hayden said, “You owe it to your grandmother. She found out that I’m a woman, not you.” Kevin chuckled. “Of course. I have my nana to thank. If it wasn’t for Nana, I would’ve never known you were a woman. I wouldn’t have pursued you.“I thought my nana was trying to give me problems when I first got your photo from her and was told to woo and marry you. I wondered why she picked a man as my wife. “Nana then told me that you were a woman, but I didn’t believe her. You looked really handsome in the photo. “That was why I was against the whole thing at first. “I didn't want to pursue you because I was afraid of what people would think. I tried to expose you as a woman, but I was terrible at it. Your disguise was flawless. I bet Nana had a hard time figuring it out too.”It dawned on Hayden. “No wonder. I got a feeling you were out to get me for a while. You suspected that I was a woman, but I didn’t think it was likely since we hadn’t met much before.“What happened next?” Hayd
Hayden thoughtfully said, “That's how it is with seniors in the family. My parents are the same. They are most worried about my marriage.“You've given my parents hope for my marriage. They're finally starting to see a future for me.”Kevin was smug. “I make an excellent son-in-law for them.” Hayden grinned. “Of course. You’re an outstanding man.” The pair enjoyed a good laugh and chit-chat along the way, and soon, they arrived at Fortress Hotel. Like before, Kevin took Hayden to go along the green channel. Without alerting anyone, he brought her to the rooftop swimming pool. While Hayden put down her walls for Kevin, Caroline finally closed the business deal. She walked the client out of the hotel and watched them leave in a car, then heaved a sigh of relief. Caroline stood outside the hotel for a while before calling Darren to pick her up as her car was at the service center. “Wait for me inside the hotel. Don’t stand outside. The weather is still hot in October,”
Darren took large strides into the hotel and looked around, finding Caroline in no time and hurrying to her side. “Mr. Fletcher.” Caroline put away her phone and stood up once she spotted him. “Why didn’t you call me if you have problems with your car? I could’ve gotten you another one,” Darren quietly told Caroline off for omitting her car troubles. Caroline whispered, “We’ll talk in the car.” He looked around warily before rushing out of the hotel with Caroline. Minutes later, they drove out of the Jensburg Hotel. “Was your car tampered with?” The car was a private space, as Darren only used it to drive Caroline around. He would inspect the car for tampering or listening devices before driving it. The car was also bulletproof. It was a safe vehicle. “Yes.” Caroline answered, “I ran into Mr. Queen. His chauffeur, who knows a thing or two about cars, examined my car and told me that it had been tampered with, which was why it broke down in the middle of the road.
It was a challenging assignment to tackle. Caroline put Darren on the job because he was the best. Darren had also hand-picked and trained a few reliable allies for Caroline.He said apologetically, “I could’ve done better. I let you down, Ms. Fisher.” “It’s not your fault. The incident happened decades ago. Even if there was any trace left behind, my mom likely destroyed it. Anyone who knew about it is probably dead now. It will be very difficult to investigate and find evidence.“I haven't been able to find anything in Wiltspoon yet. Their influence and network are too strong there.”Caroline’s cousin, Audrey, was in Wiltspoon. “Nothing still in Wiltspoon?” Darren asked, curious as things had been awfully quiet in Wiltspoon. Caroline fell silent for a bit before answering, “Zachary and Serenity’s wedding is around the corner, and Liberty’s new restaurant just opened. I’m guessing Audrey doesn’t want to put a damper on anybody’s plans.” The DNA test results between Caroli
Darren ended the conversation there. Even though he had Caroline's trust, he knew that it was not his place to interfere in her personal life.Caroline's lack of interest in Hayden was all that mattered.Darren dropped Caroline off at the Fishers’ residence. Seeing that Caroline was back, the housekeeper came out of the house and welcomed her with a smile. “Welcome back, Ms. Caroline.” Caroline opened the car door and got out of the car. “Yeap,” she responded. While walking to the main building, she asked, “Is my mom back yet?” “Madam Fisher doesn’t have any engagement tonight. She came straight home after work,” the housekeeper answered Caroline respectfully while walking alongside her.Caroline knew that the housekeeper was putting on a show because that was what he did best. He would be on his best behavior when her mother was home. Behind Madam Fisher’s back, he was on Celine’s side. Caroline said nothing and made a beeline for the residence. She heard laughter the
Not feeling awkward at all, Marcus retracted his hand. He sat back in his seat with composure, but his eyes did not break contact with Caroline. Celine smiled and said, “Caroline, Dad chose Marcus for you. You should try and get along with Marcus. Although the Wrights aren’t super rich and powerful, their assets are worth at least a few million dollars. “Marcus’s parents don’t mind their son taking our family’s name. You know it’s hard to find a man to take the wife’s family name. Dad immediately thought of you when Marcus was happy to compromise. See how good Dad is to you.” Celine was gloating. The Fishers encouraged Celine to pursue Hayden. Although Celine had not made much progress, her family demonstrated their support for her to marry into wealth and power. Yet, Hunter found a mediocre husband for Caroline. Sure, the Wrights were worth several millions, and to an ordinary family, the Wrights were wealthy. However, they were considered poor to the rich and powerful lik
Hunter’s smile froze. Marcus was once him. If Hunter had something to show for, he would not have married into the Fisher family and become a sperm donor to Belinda. At least, Belinda was good to his family. His sacrifice had given something back to his parents and siblings. However, Hunter did not have freedom, especially financially. His wife only gave him a daily allowance of five hundred dollars to prevent him from cheating. He did not have the guts to cheat on Belinda anyway. Many women threw themselves at him over the years while he was already married, but Hunter dared not cross the line. He did not have the courage to talk with those beautiful women. He knew too well what Belinda was capable of and would be in for it if he got on her nerves. Even his family could feel her rage. After Caroline was born, Belinda settled down and reduced their bedroom activities by a large margin. He was afraid she would leave him now that he had lost his value to her. Cheating was the
All he could do was hold it in. However, he soon sneezed again.Imogen commented, “My dad told you to stand in the cold without your coat, and you really did it, like an idiot. It’s not like you feel anything for me or you’re trying to win my affection, so there’s really no need for you to listen to my dad.”Luckily, she came out quickly enough. Otherwise, he would have turned into an icicle.“It was my fault before. I hurt you, so it's only natural that Mr. and Mrs. Doyle are angry with me. They didn’t hit me or scold me, and they just made me stand out in the cold for a while; they’re already being very lenient,” said Dylan, sneezing again.He was usually in good health, but this time, he was afraid he might really catch a cold.Imogen glanced at him without saying anything. She led Dylan into the house and asked their housekeeper if the soup was ready.Wendy replied, “Almost.”Imogen nodded and asked Dylan to sit down. Then, she poured him a cup of tea and asked, “Have you ea
Dylan finally put his coat on after Imogen said that. He had only been standing there for half an hour but even in that short time, he had become so cold.Once he put his jacket on, Imogen turned around and began walking inside. “Come with me.”“Okay,” Dylan quickly bent down to grab the gifts before quickening his steps to catch up with Imogen. “Thank you, Ms. Doyle.”Imogen glanced at him for a moment before turning away. “I was just afraid you might freeze to death at my doorstep, and then your family would come after mine. Plus, since your sisters-in-law are my good friends, I couldn't just let you die at my gate.”After leaving Wiltspoon, Imogen had not gone back there under her real name, but she had stayed in touch with Serenity and the others and was still on very good terms with them.Dylan smiled and said, “Serenity will give birth in a few months, and Josh’s wife is also pregnant, but she's a month ahead of Serenity. Liberty and Duncan have already registered their marr
Her daughter’s excellence was all thanks to Silver’s influence.“What I wanted to tell you was that Dylan is standing at our doorstep. He said he wanted to see you. Your dad and I refused and told him to leave, but he’s not budging.”Imogen was not surprised by this, but she still pretended to be surprised, so as not to raise her mother’s suspicion.“Why’s he here?” Imogen asked, feigning ignorance.“Who knows? He didn’t say. He only said he wanted to see you. The way he treated you, playing with your feelings—your dad and I have been holding in a lot of anger for a long time. “But you didn’t want us to confront him, so we couldn’t vent it. Now he’s come knocking, wanting to see you? It won’t be that easy.”Imogen was not planning to meet Dylan either.“Your dad told him to stand outside for two hours with his coat off and that if he doesn’t freeze to death, he’ll let him see you.”Imogen was speechless for a moment. “Mom, it’s freezing outside. Even wearing a thick coat, it’s
“Still not up yet?” Leticia smiled and said as she entered her daughter’s room after the door opened. Imogen’s room was decorated in a warm style, but the furniture was minimal. Aside from the bed, a computer desk, and a set of sofas, she preferred things to be simple. Her room was also the smallest. She said that if the room was too big, it felt empty and she could not sleep well. Leticia thought it was because when her daughter learned self-defense from her master, she lived in a small room with her fellow disciples, so she had gotten used to smaller spaces.Compared to the average person, Imogen's room was actually quite large, but against the rooms of the other family members, hers looked smaller.Leticia sat down on the sofa.“Mom, let me change first.” With her mother here, Imogen could no longer lie in bed. She went to change and wash up, then came out of the bathroom. She poured her mother a cup of water and placed it in front of her before sitting next to her. “Mom, a
Dylan was speechless.Leaving the warm indoors, he felt Huntington's winter was really cold. It was below freezing, and the temperature was as low as 14°F to 32°F. He had never experienced such low temperatures in Wiltspoon.In Wiltspoon, the moment the temperature dropped to 50°F, everyone would start saying it was freezing.Winston and Leticia headed back. Leticia whispered to her husband, “What if he really stands there for two hours without his coat and freezes to death?”They wanted to stand up for their daughter, but they did not want to kill Dylan. That would make them enemies of the Yorks. Even if they could not become in-laws, they definitely did not want to become enemies.Winston replied, “If he really does it, in half an hour, I’ll let Jen come out and call him inside. If he doesn't follow my request, he won’t freeze to death.”At most, he would just catch a cold. If he did not do it, nothing would happen.“I don’t think he’s here for love this time either. I’m not s
Leticia harrumphed as well. “Mr. York, why are you here?” Leticia asked coldly. “We don't welcome you here. Go back to wherever you came from.”Dylan smiled awkwardly, “Mrs. Doyle, I just want to see Ms. Imogen.”“Imogen doesn't want to see you. Hurry up and leave, or we'll let the guard dogs out.” Leticia rejected him outright. “And you’d better stay as far away as possible. Do you think our Imogen is someone you can just toy and flirt with just because you want to, then say you haven't fallen for her and play with her feelings?“What's the matter? Has the Mr. York, whose heart belongs to someone else, still not managed to win his lady love over?” Leticia mocked, though she was actually probing into the reason for Dylan's visit.Dylan just took the insults without getting angry. He knew he had hurt Imogen. Even though she was someone who could take things in stride, the fact remained he had flirted with her and turned to claim he did not like her, which had hurt her feelings.
Otherwise, the Old Mrs. York would not have taken a liking to her in the first place.“I'll go out and have a look.” Leticia could not sit still and stood up to leave. She wanted to mock that York boy. Winston replied, “I'll go with you.”He was worried that his wife might soften her heart because she was quite pleased with Dylan at first. Well, to be honest, he was too.It was mainly because everyone in Huntington knew of the Wiltspoon Yorks’ reputation. The men of the York family were devoted and loyal to their marriages, and once they married, it was for life.For women, the York family was an excellent family for marriage. Who would not want to marry into it? Families with daughters also hoped their daughters would marry York men, or those who were as devoted as them. Leticia hummed in assent and the couple hurried out.Dylan's car was parked in front of the Doyles’ residence. He had switched to a different car, afraid the security guards might recognize his vehicle, eve
“Goodnight, Mom,” Imogen said.As Leticia turned the doorknob to enter her room, Imogen suddenly asked, “Mom, if Dylan comes looking for me again, would you let him in?”“I'd set the guard dog on him.”Imogen chuckled softly, “Mom, you’re all talk. If he really does, you might just smile from ear to ear and think he’s realized he actually loves me.”Leticia was silent for a moment before she said, “Regardless, I have to make him sweat a little.” After saying that, Leticia quickly closed the door, feeling too embarrassed to face her daughter. She internally sighed. Dylan was the son-in-law she had hoped for. If Dylan really did realize that he actually loved Jen and came back for her, Leticia wondered if she should forgive him for the things he had done months ago. Dylan had hurt her daughter, but… never mind. It was between the two young ones. She should let them handle it themselves. There was no way Dylan would come back anyway.Leticia did not expect her daughter’s hypothet
Leticia then heard faint footsteps. When she went out to check, she saw it was her daughter. That was why she asked.“My friend invited me out for a late-night snack.” Imogen lied, not telling her mother that she had gone to meet that thief. She knew that Dylan wanted to break in by climbing the wall, but she kept to herself because she did not want her mother to have a bad impression of him.Leticia had met Dylan back when he was deliberately approaching her and knowing he was one of the Wiltspoon Yorks, she was very pleased with him. Since Leticia thought so highly of Dylan and said a lot of good things about the York family before her, Imogen took this into consideration and saw him as a potential partner. However, when she started to have feelings for him, he told her that after trying for two or three months, he still could not fall for her.“I thought you didn’t like eating late-night snacks? Anyway, you should just eat what you want at home. Why go out? It’s so cold,” Let