Shirley, not intending to say more, leaned over to pick up the tea and desserts from the side table and handed them to Cathy. “Try the desserts. They’re made by the chef here. I’ve eaten them for more than ten years. They taste quite good.”“… I’m not hungry.” Cathy was not in the mood to eat. Shirley was acting so gentle that it made Cathy uncomfortable. Nevertheless, this change in Shirley could be a good thing. After waiting for approximately twenty minutes, Carter returned as expected.The moment he entered, his eyes were drawn to Shirley. During his wedding at the hotel, Shirley had covered her face with a mask, so he was not surprised to see her with a mask again. However, it had been a few days already. He wondered why she had not recovered from her flu yet.As Carter went closer, he noticed that Shirley was not sitting on the sofa, but in a wheelchair instead. Carter wished that he was mistaken, but his eyes seemed to be telling him the truth. Shirley met his ga
Carter’s heart trembled when he heard that. He kept a steady gaze and looked at Shirley, who still wore a cold expression in her eyes. “Why are you only telling me this now?” Shirley laughed indifferently. “I’ve come here with a purpose, of course. I want to strike a deal with you. Otherwise, I might not have bothered to let you know.”“…” Carter pursed his lips when he heard her reply. He could not think of a retort. Camille’s expression darkened. “Shirley, are you saying that you’d use the baby as a bargaining tool in exchange for benefits?”“You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Gray. I’m indeed here today for some benefits,” Shirley admitted openly without refrain.Carter and Camille were stunned; Ada was burning with rage, but she felt less threatened now because of Shirley’s attitude. “What do you want?” Carter asked directly. Shirley threw a glance at Ada, then replied, “I’d like to talk with you in private. After all, some matters aren’t suitable to be discussed in the pre
She was clearly the hostess of this family, but she seemed to be nothing more than just that title.The second floor. Shirley entered Carter's study room with a sense of familiarity.Although it was daytime, Carter had drawn the curtains. He also closed the door behind Shirley after she entered.He turned around and looked at Shirley who was seated in a wheelchair. He closed his eyes, hoping this was merely a figment of his imagination. Unfortunately, when he reopened them, Shirley remained in the wheelchair.Suddenly, it occurred to him that Shirley had always been seated when they met the last few times. Evidently, it was due to the loss of ability in her legs.Unable to comprehend the situation, Carter was upset, and the rage within him continued to grow.“What exactly is going on? Your legs… how did it happen?”Carter spoke from behind Shirley; the anger in his voice was suppressed. “You seem concerned about my legs, Mr. Gray. There’s nothing much to say, except that I m
Carter narrowed his eyes and involuntarily loosened his grip on the back of Shirley's neck.He was stunned by her indifference. This was not right.Shirley would never behave like this in the past. Now, the way she looked at him, and the way she spoke, were that of enemies–cold and hostile. “Hah.” Carter laughed softly and released Shirley’s neck. “You want the anti-toxoid test reagent formula for AXT69? I'll never give it to you,” Carter rejected with a cold laugh.He had thought his answer could frighten and unsettle Shirley. He had not expected Shirley to be abnormally calm instead.“Since you're not interested in this deal, let’s pretend I didn't come by today.” Shirley steered her wheelchair around the second she finished speaking.When Carter saw this, he reached out and grabbed Shirley’s wrist. Shirley, whose wheelchair had been moving forward when Carter yanked her back, instantly fell off her wheelchair.Her legs, which could not support her at all, caused her
Carter’s eyebrows snapped together. He stared into Shirley’s cold eyes which saw him as an enemy. Without warning, he reached over and attempted to pull off her mask."Shirley, I'm really curious to see your expression when you say such things," he said furiously.Shirley immediately moved her head away to evade and raised her hand to block Carter’s hand.“You’d better not remove my mask. Don't blame me if you catch my flu.""Hah!" Carter chuckled dismissively; his gaze was so piercing that it seemed like he was about to engulf her.In one swift motion, he pushed Shirley's hand aside and ripped her mask off.Shirley felt her heart stopped for a split second. She hurriedly turned her face sideways, exposing the unscarred side to Carter. Carter was enraged when Shirley avoided his gaze. Reaching over, he grasped Shirley's chin and turned her head firmly in his direction.His anger and dissatisfaction vanished the moment he saw her whole face.He unknowingly loosened his gr
Ada, who was listening to their conversation behind the door, was frightened by Carter’s furious questioning, and her face turned pale.‘If Shirley told the truth, how would I explain myself?’ She anxiously thought. Suddenly, she realized that the study room had become unusually quiet.Feeling uneasy and curious, Ada leaned closer to the door, her ears practically pressing against it.She heard a soft “click,” and the door abruptly swung open.Carter was standing right in front of Ada, and she turned rigid, unsure of what to do. After a few seconds, she regained her composure and adopted an awkward demeanor; her face also feigned a gentle smile.“Carter, I… I was just worried about you. I wasn’t eavesdropping.” Ada smiled forcefully as she tried to explain, but she noticed Carter's unusually dark expression at the moment.She intended to peep into the study room to see what was happening with Shirley, but her gaze was met by Carter's cold, icy stare.“Car… Carter?”“It seems
"Are you going to leave just like that?”Ada abruptly stopped in her tracks. She felt awfully uneasy, but she still turned around, feigning innocence and a wounded expression on her face.She saw Shirley, who was seated in her wheelchair, approached the doorway slowly.“Ms. Brown, you’ve won. I don't want to stay and be humiliated."“I’ve won?” Shirley was confused when she heard this. Carter had intentionally kept his voice down during his conversation with Ada, especially when he had spoken those few sentences. He had not wanted Shirley to hear them.As a result, Shirley was not aware of how important she was to Carter. Now, she merely found Ada’s words amusing. “Mrs. Gray, do I look like a winner to you? My legs are crippled, and my face is disfigured. I’ll be useless for the rest of my life. How am I a winner? Should I be honored that you did all of this personally?”“…”Sure enough, Shirley revealed it! Ada flinched and immediately denied, “Ms. Brown, what do you m
The slap resounded loud and clear. Further, she had deliberately hit the side of Shirley’s injured face.The scene had unfolded too suddenly. Camille and Cathy had not expected it, while Ada's mother was satisfied with her "feat,” and Ada was secretly delighted.However, Ada could only enjoy the moment briefly before she similarly received a hard slap across her right cheek.“Ouch!” Ada shouted in pain as Carter slapped Ada so hard that she could barely stand up. She also tasted the blood trickling from the corners of her mouth.Ada and her mother froze, eyes widened. They had not expected Carter to make such a move.He had actually slapped Ada! Shirley too had not anticipated that. The burning pain on her cheek seemed to have immediately subsided. Was Carter trying to protect her?“How dare you slap my daughter, Carter?!” Ada’s mother demanded anxiously.Carter appeared impassive, but his gaze was icy. "I hit your daughter because you slapped my woman. It's only fair."“
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