‘Daddy’.The word swayed in Jeremy’s tear-clouded vision, reflecting in his dark eyes and shooting right through his heart.Lillian was giving him a genuine smile as she stared at him, her arms raised high up in the air.She was waiting, waiting for Jeremy to accept the picture she had drawn. She was waiting for Jeremy to see the word ‘Daddy’ that she had written herself.On the paper, there were the figures of all five of them that made up her family.The only daughter of the family was holding a distinguished man’s hand, looking at him as she called him ‘Daddy’.She finally called him her dad.She finally understood that he was her biological father.She could not speak, yet the drawing was a clear testament to her desire to call him her father.Jeremy’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he harshly forced down the desire to cry.Under Lillian’s expectant gaze, Jeremy turned and left. His escape wiped off the smile on Lillian’s little face as despair began to replace the hope in her
Her words had stunned Jeremy. Madeline merely smiled and handed the drawing to him.“I know that you have your own reason for doing that. I also know that you’ve been waiting to hear her say out that word for a very long time…”Jeremy felt his hold over his emotions slip as he watched Madeline pass him the drawing with the word ‘Daddy’ on it.He did not say anything, merely reaching out to take the drawing that Lillian had drawn with her heart.“I’ll go check on Pudding. You take as much time as you need.” Madeline then turned around.He was now alone in the empty courtyard.Jeremy stared at the drawing under the moonlight and traced every figure with his slender finger before it finally fell on the little girl who was calling out for her dad.The night breeze blew at him with the fresh scent of flowers.Even so, Jeremy could not help but smell something bitter instead.Before him was a colorful and warm drawing, yet it seemed to be gray in his eyes.“I’m sorry, Lillian.”Th
The breaking news online?Madeline had just woken up and her mind was muddled.“You and Jeremy are trending, Maddie.” Ava’s tone was heavy and it told Madeline that they were not trending for a good reason.Tapping into Twitter, Madeline’s eyes fell onto her and Jeremy’s name topping the search bar.Furthermore, Ryan’s name was there as well.Paparazzi had apparently caught onto last night’s incident by the river, and with a few dramatic touches, the story had begun to spread on the internet.Madeline scrolled through the images online with flames beginning to flare in her eyes.The scene of Ryan hugging her and forcing a kiss on her had been turned into a scene of Ryan and her in a passionate bout of lip-locking.Jeremy, who had appeared to protect her, was turned into the homewrecker with the intention to break the sweet couple apart.Her struggles and attempts to push Ryan away were not photographed at all.It was evident that the media had done so to make their story tren
“How do you plan to deal with it?” she asked.“I promised I wouldn’t go overboard, right? Just wait for me at home, okay? It’ll be alright.”The man gently caressed the back of her head before turning to walk out the door coolly.“Jeremy,” Madeline called out after him.The man turned around and gave an assuring smile in response to the worry in her eyes. “Don’t worry, just wait for me at home.”Madeline nodded. After watching him drive away, she headed to the lab. On the way to Whitman Corporation, Jeremy made two phone calls, the second one to Ryan.He answered the phone calmly within the first few rings. “How do you still have the time to call me now? You must’ve seen the things online, haven’t you? What are you going to do about it?”Jeremy replied nonchalantly, “Is this you admitting to being the person behind all of this, then?”Ryan did not reply and only chuckled subtly. “There has always been two things that hinder men ever since the beginning of time, Jeremy Whitma
Jeremy was shocked as well to see Madeline appear in front of him. “Why are you here, Linnie?”Madeline walked up to Jeremy and smiled. “You said it yourself, didn’t you? That I’m your wife. Then as husband and wife, by your side is where I should’ve stood in the first place.”She took his hand and averted her sharp gaze to the male reporter as she spoke clearly, “Listen properly. My husband’s name is Jeremy Whitman, not Ryan Jones!”“...” Faced with Madeline’s aura, the man was lost for words.It took a few seconds before he finally reacted and mocked. “You’re still Mr. Jones’ legal wife, Eveline Montgomery, yet here you are standing by Jeremy Whitman’s side and calling him your husband. What do you take Mr. Jones for?”The man’s gaze was filled with disdain, and his tone was mocking.“You’re still the lady of one of Glendale’s richest families. Do you not feel shameful for cheating and saying these things? Or do you think this is something to be proud of?”It was evident that
Madeline watched Jeremy pick up a call, and it was followed by the sound of phone notifications going off all around them.Madeline’s phone also received a push notification.Jeremy’s voice sounded unrushed as he spoke, “The latest trending story is out. If you’re not completely blind, then read it.”He glared sharply at the reporter on the ground.“Read it, then get up and apologize to my wife.”Wife.He so boldly referred to Madeline as his wife in front of everyone.Everyone there clicked into the trending story to read the newest push notification.It was an official statement from the international criminal investigation organization, IBCI.With a few curt sentences, the statement clarified that both Ryan and Jeremy were members of the IBCI. It also stressed that Ryan had merely gotten married to Madeline because it was part of his mission from his superior.Ryan was merely carrying out his mission. He was not Madeline’s husband, and the relationship between them was no
Madeline had changed her mind at the last minute and did not go to the lab, so the chemist typed the results into a comprehensible report instead and sent it over to her in the form of an email.Yet with Jeremy by her side, she did not dare open it in front of him.If he did not want her to know that he had not fully recovered, then she would not cut through his facade.“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at home, Linnie? Why did you follow me out?” Jeremy’s curious and soft tone drifted over. Madeline kept her phone and looked up to meet the man’s heartbreaking gaze. “Didn’t we agree to face everything together in the future? I won’t let you stand in the spotlight by yourself for everyone to scrutinize.”Jeremy gave an understanding smile and caressed the top of Madeline’s head. “Linnie.”“Did you have the IBCI send out the official statement?” It was Madeline’s turn to ask questions. Jeremy nodded. “I told you I’d deal with this. I won’t let anyone slander you.”At that momen
She made an excuse to go to the toilet when in truth, she was hiding in a secluded corner where she tapped open the email. The first half of the report was filled with numbers that Madeline did not understand, so she scrolled all the way down where the chemist’s conclusion was. It said that the person the blood sample belonged to had been infected with several unknown diseases. It was an accumulation of these diseases that resulted in a change of hair color, the color of their irises, and the sound of their voice. Hemodialysis showed that the patient was not in any life-threatening danger. However, there was always the possibility of the disease mutating which would result in the patient’s life being slowly consumed to the point where they would die from a lack of treatment. Madeline’s temples began to throb as she read. ‘So you haven’t fully recovered, after all, Jeremy.’Her heart was aching, and she forced her tears back. Thinking about the poison in Jeremy’s body and
Gina, who was standing at the door, saw this scene and was about to walk in when she was stopped by her husband.“Stop causing more trouble. Do you really want your son to be a bachelor for the rest of his life?”“Who said I'm going to make trouble? I’m going to tell them that I agree to this marriage now, okay?”Her husband was startled. “You’re agreeing to this?”Gina was about to answer when out of the corners of her eyes, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the lights in the room. It was followed by cheers and applause from inside.Ava pulled herself out of Daniel's embrace. She was surprised to find Madeline and Jeremy, her parents, and even Tom and Maisie slowly approaching them with smiles on their faces.Ava stared blankly at Madeline. Then, she finally understood that they had all worked together to arrange this.Only she and Daniel’s parents were kept in the dark.Daniel had never thought of leaving her at all. He just used a different approach to let her know that she w
Upon hearing this, Gina slowly stopped.She never thought that Ava still had some respect for her in her heart.This really surprised her.However, she soon heard Madeline stand up for Ava. “Ava, you respect them, but have they ever respected you? Respect should be mutual.”“But Danny will always be their son. If Dan and I insist on getting married, his parents won’t be happy about it for the rest of their lives,” Ava said with a helpless sigh. “I really don't want Dan to be caught in the middle of this matter.”“But Ava…”“Maddie, don't persuade me. You should know best that when you truly love someone, you don't have to stay with them. As long as they’re safe, healthy, and happy, that's enough, isn't it?”There was a smile of relief on Ava's face as if she had already made a final decision in her heart.Madeline wanted to persuade her a little more, but nothing seemed appropriate at this moment.“Ava, are you leaving, then? Are you going to stop looking for him now?”“I've
Daniel's parents, who were secretly observing Ava in the distance, gradually became more and more restless in the car.“Hmph, how dare she say that she has a deep relationship with Dan? It's been so long and she still doesn't know where Dan has gone,” Gina rolled her eyes and complained.Daniel's father glanced at Gina. “Stop being so mean. Right now, the most important thing is to find Dan. Ava isn’t a bad person. In the beginning, you disliked her because she didn’t have parents, money, and power. Now, her parents are alive and well, her mother is extremely rich, and her father is a specialist doctor and professor. What else are you dissatisfied with? Do you really want your son to stay single his entire life?”Gina was not happy when her husband was complaining about her. “Didn't you object at the beginning as well? I agreed with the relationship after that, but your father refused to agree to save his reputation. Why are you blaming me now?”“Stop talking.” Daniel's father in
After Old Master Graham read Daniel's message, he was so angry that his eyes were wide open.‘He just got out of the hospital and he ran away for a woman?‘He even said that if he can't marry that woman, he won't get married in the future?’Old Master Graham would never allow such a thing to happen.However, when he thought about it, he still felt a little nervous.If Daniel really did not get married because of this, would this not be the end of the Graham family?‘I can’t let this happen.’After Ava ran out, she went to find Daniel in all the places she could think of. However, after spending the entire morning, she still could not find Daniel.She tried to call Daniel, and although the call was connected, it was always unanswered.As time passed, Ava felt very tired. She sat down on the chair by the roadside and watched the street where people came and went. Then, a deep sense of loss welled up from the bottom of her heart.‘Dan, have you decided to just give up?‘Are we
“I'll be right back!”Gina hurriedly ran back. Suddenly, she turned back and stopped Ava, who was about to follow her.“Don’t follow me! You’re not welcomed at our house.”Despite Gina's warning, Ava could not stop herself from looking for Daniel.She did not know what was going on. How could Daniel suddenly be discharged by himself? He had obviously been in a coma on the hospital bed. He did not wake up this whole time.On the way there, Ava called Daniel, but Daniel did not answer.Ava did not know if Daniel had his phone with him, but in short, she could not get into contact with him.She wanted so badly to stand in front of Daniel right now, but there was traffic on the way.When Ava followed Gina into the door of Graham Manor, she heard Gina's sharp voice. “What? Dan’s gone? Where did he go? D-Didn't he just wake up? What the hell is going on?”“Look at this and you'll know what's going on." Daniel's father sounded like he was reproaching someone, then he seemed to hand s
Ava stared at the empty ward for a while. Then, she returned to her senses and immediately went to look for Daniel.However, after looking around for a while, Ava could not find Daniel, which made her feel a little nervous.At this time, Gina also came in.She saw that the ward was empty, and Daniel, who was supposed to be lying on the hospital bed, had disappeared.“What’s going on? Where’s Dan? Did the doctor take Dan away?” Gina looked at Ava and asked with an unfriendly expression on her face.Ava was used to Gina's attitude, so she did not bother to argue with Gina. Instead, she replied, “I want to know as well.”“How could you not know? You came before me.”“Dan wasn't in the ward when I came,” Ava said and turned around. “I'll go to the nurse's station and ask.”“Wait.”Gina grabbed Ava, her face was dark.“Ava, let me tell you this. Dan has suffered a lot and gotten a lot of injuries because of you. Because of you, both Naya and her mother have been sent to prison. It
Since Julie was about to think that way, it showed that she was a reasonable person.“Lily.” Julie walked up to Lillian and squatted down, giving her a friendly blessing. “Lily, I really like you. I hope you can be happy every day, and I hope you’ll be able to speak soon.”Lillian was a sensible child. She raised a sweet smile and nodded vigorously, indicating that she acknowledged Julie's blessing.Julie stood up and faced Fabian. Right now, there was a little more admiration in her eyes and a little less of her unwilling persistence before.If one liked someone, one did not necessarily have to stubbornly fight for it.Julie did not say anything and just smiled at Fabian.Fabian did not say anything more either. He bent over and picked Lillian up in his arms. Before turning around, he gave Julie a friendly smile.“Miss Charles, you can still come to me if you need help in the future. After all, I still owe you a favor.”Julie smiled and shook her head. “You stopped owing me an
“I did,” Fabian admitted frankly.Julie thought she would feel embarrassed because of this, but she did not know why she still felt very relaxed. Even so, she still felt a little embarrassed.In order to not make Julie feel embarrassed, Fabian smiled and said, “I wanted to help you get out of that situation, Miss Charles, but I didn't want to cross the line. I also didn’t expect someone to have taken a video and put it on the internet. Lily and I have caused you much trouble. I'm really sorry about that.”Fabian paused as he spoke, then, he glanced at Lillian softly.“But Miss Charles, rest assured, there’ll be no such trouble in the future.”Julie was stunned for a moment when she heard the words, and she inexplicably felt a strong sense of loss coming up from the bottom of her heart.She looked at Fabian suspiciously, and sure enough, the words she heard next made her feel remorseful.“Miss Charles, I’ve found a more suitable school for Lily, and it’s closer to where I work so
The scene of Mr. Martinez causing a ruckus and Fabian coming to the rescue with Lillian at the end was all recorded and posted on the internet.This person was still a little conscientious and had censored Lillian's appearance, but Fabian's figure and face were clearly visible in the video.Patty recognized the person in the video as Fabian at a glance.After seeing the comments below, Patty was even more anxious.“Julie, how could you fall in love with a single father?”Julie frowned. “Yes, I won't deny it. I do have a crush on Mr. Johnson.”“What?”“Tsk tsk… Julie, do you really like this single father?” The look in Mrs. Gill's eyes was very subtle. “Someone dug up all his information, and it turns out that this man is Yorick's younger brother. Back then, Yorick stirred up all kinds of troubles and did whatever he wanted in F Country. His sister, Lana, was also notorious in our circle.”“What? He's Yorick and Lana's younger brother?” Patty was even more nervous, for fear that