In the evening, Keith came again. As usual, a group of chefs followed, delivering dinner.
Shirley smiled self-mockingly. After all, she and Keith had ended up together by accident, without any real emotions. How could he voluntarily come to accompany her for meals?
After three consecutive days, Shirley had become somewhat accustomed to Keith coming to have meals with her. Whether it was due to these three days or not, Keith had gradually grown accustomed to it, too.
As soon as he finished work, without waiting for Grandma Nelson's reminder, he would drive to the hospital to have dinner with Shirley.
Keith arrived early today, so it wasn't yet mealtime.
As soon as Keith got out of the car, he saw the woman in the glass display window. She was trimming a camellia plant with a smile on her face.
From the first time he saw this woman, she was either expressionless or silently crying. He had never known that she could smile so beautifully.
She was completely different from Rose. Rose exuded a provocative and sexy beauty, while she emanated a quiet and blossoming beauty, just like the camellia she held in her hands. Its fragrance was long-lasting and worth savoring.
Shirley smiled and said to the long line of nurses following behind her, "This camellia needs to be placed in a cool place to grow well. Camellia trees prefer shade and moisture. Prolonged exposure to sunlight isn't good for them."
"Madam knows so much!" They had been together for several days now, so they were gradually getting to know each other, and conversations increased.
"Because my grandmother also likes to raise flowers. If they aren't taken care of properly, my mother would..." Shirley paused abruptly. "It's nothing. You'll know if you raise them for a long time."
Just then, Shirley heard someone behind her shouting repeatedly, "Hello, Mr. Keith."
Shirley was stunned. It wasn't yet mealtime, so why had he come?
After Keith approached, he lowered his head to look at the camellia that Shirley had trimmed. An emotion that others couldn't understand hid in his blue eyes.
"Do you like flowers? Instruct them to put more fresh flowers in the room," Keith said, then walked past Shirley.
Shirley was frozen in place. What did he mean by that?
After Keith left, a nurse couldn't help but excitedly whisper, "Mr. Keith is so good to the Madam!"
Shirley forced a bitter smile. How was he being good to her? He was just being good to the child in her belly!
At that moment, the attending doctor walked over with a smile and said to Shirley, "Madam, it's time for today's routine examination!"
Shirley nodded and cooperatively followed the doctor back to the room.
This was a daily examination that Shirley had become accustomed to.
But it was Keith's first time witnessing it.
When the sound of the fetal heartbeat was clearly transmitted through the air, Keith's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but ask, "What is that sound? Is it the heartbeat of the child?"
The attending doctor smiled and replied, "Yes, that's the heartbeat of the child. Listen, how strong it beats! The child is very healthy! It seems that the physical conditioning over these days has finally yielded results, Madam."
Hearing the doctor's words, Shirley felt a strange sensation flicker in her heart.
The feeling of being connected by blood was becoming more and more evident.
The little baby in her belly was growing and taking shape little by little.
Originally, Shirley had no fondness for this child. However, at this moment, as she listened to the baby's heartbeat, she was filled with anticipation and joy.
Keith, standing by the side, had flickering eyes. Although he didn't say anything, he couldn't hide his pleasant surprise.
This was his child! Instantly, Keith's mind echoed with these words.
After the examination, Keith's usually cold expression seemed to soften a bit.
******
The next day at noon, Grandma Nelson also came. Seeing that Keith had been obediently obeying her orders and accompanying Shirley for meals, she nodded in satisfaction.
After finishing the meal, the attending doctor came to report the observations of the past week.
"After a week of conditioning, Madam's body is now completely fine. As long as she continues to strengthen her nutrition in the later stages, she can be discharged from the hospital," the attending doctor said with a smile to Keith. "These are reports. Madam can be discharged at any time."
Keith only glanced at the medical report and nodded. "Just leave it there."
After everyone left, Keith handed the report to Grandma Nelson. She carefully flipped through it and said, "Since your body is fine now, let's go to your home tomorrow for the marriage proposal. The child in your belly is getting bigger, so it's better to get married as soon as possible."
Keith furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Grandma, there's no need to be so hasty about getting married, right?"
Shirley also didn't want to get married so early. She always felt that once she got married, there would be no turning back!
Grandma Nelson calmly looked at her grandson. She knew very well what Keith was thinking. She simply said, "In a little over ten days, the boss and his wife of the Italian company will be visiting us. They have already indicated that they want you to meet them with your wife. If you don't get married, what identity will you let Shirley use to meet them?"
Grandma Nelson's words instantly reminded Keith.
Although Keith didn't really want to get married so early, these personal matters had become insignificant in the face of company affairs.
"I understand, Grandma," Keith immediately chose to comply with Grandma Nelson's decision.
Upon hearing Keith's agreement to get married, Shirley's heart sank.
Are they really getting married? It happened so suddenly, from making the decision to implementing it, the time passed too quickly.
Shirley's resistant gaze scanned Keith, and he caught her eye. An unpleasant feeling flashed through his heart. It was one thing if he didn't want to get married, but it was another if the other person didn't want to.
Initially, Keith had some resistance, but he didn't know what was going on in his mind. He suddenly felt that Grandma Nelson's words made a lot of sense. This wedding needed to happen as soon as possible.
Seeing both the chairwoman and Keith so determined, Shirley knew that she had no say in the matter.
Besides, at this point, what couldn't she accept? Getting married was just a matter of time, whether it happened sooner or later didn't make much difference anymore.
******
Grandma Nelson and Grandma Wright quickly decided on a wedding date. Because the wedding preparations were rushed, both families didn't plan to have a grand celebration. They just wanted to have a meal together and hold a small ceremony secretly at the church.
Grandma Wright didn't care about the grandeur of the wedding, she only cared about Shirley marrying into the Nelson family as soon as possible and giving birth to the child to claim the high dowry.
So, with the arrangements made by both families, the wedding of the two soon found its way onto the schedule.
Indeed, the Nelson family was wealthy, and they had everything one could ask for.
Despite the rushed preparations, every necessary detail and procedure were still included.
Shirley took a deep breath and sat alone in the church lounge, wearing a beautiful wedding dress.
In the spacious lounge, she was the only person present.
Shirley stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror; her face seemed so unfamiliar. Despite the elaborate makeup and wearing jewelry worth millions, would she still be the same person she was before?
Today, she was going to officially marry Keith and bid a final farewell to the past.
For some reason, Shirley felt a wave of uneasiness in her heart, as if something significant was going to happen today.
In another lounge, Keith was tying his tie in front of the mirror.
Keith looked exceptionally handsome today, captivating even the male stylist's attention.
Assistant Tony quickly walked in from outside and reported, "Boss, Miss Rose suddenly returned. She's on her way to the church, it seems like she came prepared."
"She finally decided to come back? She left without a word, and just gave me a gift. Once I have the gift in my hands, I won't ever return it." Keith smirked sarcastically.
He initially believed that Rose was different, but now it seemed like she wasn't any different.
"So...should we intercept her?" Tony couldn't help but ask, "Miss Rose didn't receive an invitation."
"No, let her come. It seems like some things need to be resolved. There's no point in dragging it out any longer." After Keith finished adjusting his clothes, he turned around and looked at his assistant Tony, "Give the order. It's time for that person to appear."
"Yes, boss." Tony immediately took the command and left.
Rose stood outside the church, looking at the exquisite beauty before her, and couldn't help but grit her teeth: all of this should have belonged to her!
She had only considered giving Keith Shirley's virginity as a gift, but she never intended to give him all of Shirley!
How could he marry Shirley?
No, absolutely not! Only Rose could dump her man; no man had the right to dump her!
Rose wanted to find Keith, but he was not easily accessible. Without his orders, no one could get close to him.
Instead of trying to find Keith, it might be better to make Shirley leave willingly!
With her mind made up, Rose turned around and headed towards the bride's lounge.
Knock, knock, knock — someone knocked on the door and entered.
Shirley turned around, and her eyes widened in an instant.
She saw the most unbelievable person in the world - Rose, her best friend.
Keith returned the Moore family, which he had previously acquired, back to them intact. He signed an agreement with Old Mrs. Moore, stating that the Nelson Family Group would annually provide free financial support to all industries under the Moore family and their research institute in Indonesia.At the same time, Keith ramped up collaboration with the Davis Family Group to compensate for the assistance and sacrifices their ancestors had made for the Moore family.Finally, Old Mrs. Moore let go of her prejudices and the so-called ancestral rule, stopped forcing Shirley to marry Rupert, and accepted Keith as her grandson-in-law.Keith, full of vigor, led Shirley back to the room, eager to explain everything to her.But before Keith could speak, Shirley's face suddenly turned pale, and she collapsed against Keith.Keith's words were swallowed up instantly."Shirley, what's wrong?" Keith scooped Shirley up and rushed out. "Doctor, nurse!""Keith, my stomach hurts. It hurts so much," Shi
After stomping out the cigarette butt on the floor, Lillian picked up the cup intending to take a sip, only to find it empty.Anxiously, she put the cup down and paced around the room.This shabby motel was tucked away in a corner of the old town, notorious for its crime and violence.Lillian really didn't want to be here, but she couldn't think of a better option for hiding out.The big hotels required ID registration, and she didn't want to risk being recognized, especially looking as disheveled as she did, with her scruffy appearance.She couldn't even bear to see herself like this, let alone others.This morning, while washing her face, she felt a lump in her throat, a sign that it might protrude again.This discovery made her extremely uneasy.In order to expedite the surgery and achieve the desired effect, she opted for a conservative procedure, leaving part of the Adam's apple intact.In other words, if her testosterone levels rose again, surpassing the estrogen in her body, sh
Shirley saw the flowers Simon had sent her blooming beautifully, and her mind wandered to the scene of Susan meeting Simon.Then, Shirley couldn't help but sigh.These days, Simon had been quite active in this circle, reminding everyone of Mr. Simon's presence.Hopefully, he could recover smoothly from Susan's death blow soon.Lost in thought, Shirley heard the doorbell ring.Naturally, someone went to open it, while Shirley stayed put.Lately, she noticed she was becoming lazier—moving only when necessary.Soon, Janet came over with a box, smiling as she said to Shirley, "This is from the Smith family, probably more flowers from Mr. Simon."These days, Simon had been sending over many flowers from his greenhouse.Thankfully, they had a dedicated gardener to tend to them, and a large enough greenhouse to store them. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough space for all these flowers.You see, even a random potted flower would cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars!These were all S
Well, Lillian would if she could!She felt all numb now!She could only look at Evan with pleading eyes, hoping he would spare her considering she had given him her first time.Sure enough, Evan caught Lillian's plea and immediately said, "Hannah, that's enough. You must be tired from all the hitting, be careful of the baby in your stomach."Hannah stopped immediately as Evan spoke.Shirley and Tina were once again speechless in shock.What a nice way Hannah turned things around!Indeed, Hannah must have been tired; hitting someone was physically exhausting!Hannah pointed at Lillian, accusingly saying, "You heartless creature, I considered you my friend, and you slept with my husband!"Shirley touched her nose; why did that line sound so familiar?Despite Lillian being physically numb, her mouth could still talk. However, the voice sounded oddly off."Hannah, do you think I don't know how you got pregnant?" Lillian's face was swollen from Hannah's hits, and coupled with her hoarse vo
Keith nodded, "You do understand my style and methods. Indeed, anyone who dares to target the Nelson family won't survive more than three days. I spared your life for a reason. You haven't disappointed me; you've smoothly resolved the trouble I wanted to get rid of."Lillian was trembling even more violently, "You...you...""Lillian, you've got some nerve! You actually wanted to lay a finger on the Nelson family's influence in Europe. Should I praise your bravery, or mock your stupidity?" Keith sighed lightly, "You thought getting enough shares would let you meddle in Europe? That's incredibly amusing!"Lillian glared fiercely at Keith, her voice becoming even hoarser, lacking the sweetness and clarity it once had. Instead, it sounded like a cracked drum, extremely grating."If you know everything, then do what you will with me!" Lillian gritted her teeth.Despite her words, her eyes kept drifting towards the door, as if waiting for something.Suddenly, Keith chuckled softly."Why wou
Lillian heard Monica's words and burst out laughing without reservation!"I'm talking nonsense? Monica, can you swear you haven't fallen for Simon?" A strange flush suddenly rose on Lillian's face, letting the cold wind blow against her, but she felt nothing, turning to look at Monica like this. "Yeah, with this scandal, how could you possibly keep it under wraps? You love Simon so much, you went as far as warning Susan, stirring up trouble with Shirley. But no matter how you cover it up, do you think everyone is a fool?"Monica recoiled in fear, frantically trying to explain, "It's just sibling affection...""Enough, save those lies to deceive yourself, stop pretending in front of me." Lillian continued pressing on: "But, I wonder, how would Simon feel if he knew his adoring little sister, who's been in love with him for over a decade, what would be his state of mind?"Monica finally panicked, reaching out to cover Lillian's mouth, but Lillian slapped Monica's hand away, looking at M