Zara, being the top-notch chief secretary she was, picked up on the odd way Shawn was asking right away, "Are you going to base what you tell me on what I know?"She looked him in the eye and said firmly, "You said you'd tell me everything." She was not about to let him off easy.Shawn gave a small, strained smile and uncrossed his legs. "I'm not trying to trick you. It's just that there's a lot to cover, and I'm not sure where to start. Why don't you kick things off?"After thinking it over, Zara brought up what Shelby had dug up. "My dad was taken from the hospital by someone. It looks like they took him to a villa, but we still don't know who owns it.""It's owned by someone named Yaxley," Shawn replied without missing a beat.Zara blinked in surprise. "Yaxley?"Shawn lifted the glass kettle from the stove, where the red wine had been warming. He poured it out, steam rising from the liquid. "Yaxley from the Sylverton Lark family. He tried to win your heart once, didn't he?""
She actually did it. She actually did it again... Without hesitation, she chose to go with Shawn. She climbed up the ladder and left Yosef without a second thought. It was as if the wedding ring she wore on her finger was just an accessory, as if their visit to the county clerk's office was merely a sightseeing trip, as if their marital bond was just a joke. In reality, she had never taken it seriously.The bathroom was steamy and hot, making it hard to breathe. For the first time, Yosef felt like he could not catch his breath. He quickly turned off the shower and leaned against the wall, his head hanging low.Water dripped from his hair. Yosef let out a small, mocking laugh. Whenever Shawn was around, Zara would always choose him, no matter what. It was like back in high school. Even though he and Shawn were both super popular, she only had eyes for Shawn. He remembered how she had run right past him to get to Shawn, not even giving him a glance.She was so into Shawn that she
Zara clutched at her chest, overwhelmed by a sudden feeling.Was this some kind of family intuition?She had never met Xever. Even when she tried to find out about him, there were no clear photos. However, just a few words from Shawn and her heart felt like it was tearing apart. It was throbbing with pain.Zara's mind swirled as she imagined a mighty lion. Once the ruler of the jungle, then trapped by a hunter's snare. Despite its fierce struggle to escape, its injuries weakened it. Soon, other lions, hungry for its territory, attacked. They worked together using cruel tactics until they took down the great lion. They then claimed its land and treasures while the lion king lay alone, dying in sorrow.His body decayed, turned to bones, and vanished from the world.Zara could not swallow her food. She felt a lump in her throat. Ethan's face twisted in her thoughts, her once well-respected features turning scary.Her heart was a roller coaster. "If he was set up, why didn't Xever
Shawn stopped and looked back at her.Zara bit her lip. "The person who's been protecting me... It's you, isn't it?"In their last meeting, Trevor had told her she was a very lucky woman, that she had angels watching over her. She always seemed to escape trouble, and he even gave her a few examples.Back then, Zara thought Trevor was just trying to dodge blame for not being there for her. However, right now, she was not so sure. Someone had been looking out for her... but who? The only person she could think of was Shawn.Shawn had done sneaky things before, like sending Nord to take secret photos of her, had he not?After a moment of silence, Shawn said, "It's not me."Zara let go of his hand, looking lost. "Not you? Then who else?""Maybe one of Xever's other close friends," Shawn suggested, taking a sip from his glass. The warm wine had gone cold, making him shiver as it went down."Xever was a good man. He was loyal to his friends. Things got really tough for him, and while
The day after the heavy rain, the sky was still gray.It was just after nine in the morning when Yosef's car pulled up to Webbs' big house.On his way to work, he got a call from Ethan's top secretary. He sounded worried and told Yosef he needed to come back to Webbs' place right away because Ethan had something important to talk about.Yosef's car had barely stopped in the driveway when the secretary who had been waiting hurried over, opened his door, and said, "Mr. Webb, you're here. The boss is upstairs in his room waiting for you.""His room?" Yosef gave her a look. He then went inside the big house and climbed the stairs quickly and firmly. "Is he sick?""Yes, his blood pressure shot up to 200 last night, and he passed out. Lucky for us, the doctor was here and got it under control. They checked again at seven this morning, but it's still too high."Yosef slowed down for a moment.Ethan always had trouble with high blood pressure. Whenever he and Ethan argued, Zara would re
Ethan could not stop coughing. Yosef quickly got up to pat his back and offered him a drink of water. Yosef's face showed concern as he wondered if Ethan had any other health problems besides high blood pressure.However, Ethan did not take the water. Instead, he grabbed Yosef's wrist so tightly that the cup tipped and hot water spilled over Yosef's hand.Ethan did not even notice. He looked at Yosef with cloudy, dimly shining eyes, like an old lion still clinging to its pride.His voice, rough with coughs, sounded much older as he said, "Yosef, I know you've been mad at me since you were little because of what happened with your mom. I've let you both down. "The only thing I can do now is give you Azure Cloud Group and the Webb family. They're all yours from now on."Outside the door, Macy stood with a cold look on her face.Yosef stayed bent over, following the shape of Ethan's back. His eyes were lowered as he watched Ethan. The light from the bedside lamp shone on his cold,
Yaxley was on the top left screen, grinning playfully. "Mr. Webb, someone as important as you is only half an hour late?"Yosef replied, "Had to deal with something at home. Sorry for holding you all up."In the top right corner of the screen was Stefan. He was seated in his office and calmly signing some papers. "Mr. Webb, don't pay any mind to Mr. Lark's wild stories. We've only been here for five minutes.""Only five minutes? My mistake," Yaxley said, his voice light and playful as he listened to an opera in the background. He tapped his fingers on his knee, keeping time with the music. His words were almost like a song."Lately, my memory's been a bit off. I always thought we were all working together to corner Xever, but it turns out it was just the Lark family. No wonder I've been the only one running around while the rest of you sat back, relaxed as if you were fishing. "Well, if that's how it is, I won't bother doing anything more. Let the ledger and Xever's daughter do w
Stefan laced his fingers together and rested his hands on the table. He looked straight ahead. "The ledger should really come from Mrs. Lowry, and she needs to say she's never even peeked at it."Yosef squinted, trying to grasp what Stefan meant."Even though Ms. Lowry hasn't seen the ledger, she knows she's Xever's daughter now. That makes her dangerous unless she acts like she doesn't care about Xever's business, stays uninvolved, and remains your loyal wife, united with you."Yosef leaned back, understanding what he was being told. If he wanted to keep Zara safe, that was what he had to do.First, he had to blame everything about the ledger on Sharon.Second, he could never let Zara out of his sight.Yosef said calmly, "I heard you met Sarah on a trip to Capital City before the new year. Are you helping Zara for Stanley's sake, because she used to work for you, or because Sarah is my cousin?"Stanley dodged the question. "I've heard Chase is fighting over a woman with your bu
Harper's kisses were always teasing, intentionally awakening her senses.Their tongues tangled, taking her breath away. When she felt like she could not breathe and instinctively grabbed at his shirt, Harper let go and kissed his way down to her chin, neck, and chest.She could not resist him.Shelby was torn. She did not have to hold back her body's needs and reactions, especially since they could not end their marriage just yet. He was her husband, after all, so why should she deny herself? She decided to make the most of it.Men could easily separate love from physical desire, and women could too. Shelby did not think that accepting Harper's touches meant she liked him. It was just about meeting a need.She would just get that over with.Shelby's fingers gripped the sheets tightly as Harper kissed her growing belly. She was six months along, and her belly was a little bigger. The thought of their child made his heart melt, and he kissed her several more times before suddenly s
Shelby made a sound of agreement, her back sore from sitting too long. She leaned back against Harper without much thought. She was busy with her work and not in the mood for conversation.Harper quickly got the gist of the case file. In short, it was a classic example of someone facing the consequences of their own actions.In the western part of Starville, there was a middle school and a vocational school. The two schools were just a street apart. Not all, but at least 80% of the vocational school students were troublemakers.One of those students, Yered, often rounded up his gang to shake down the middle school kids for their money.Since last year, the bullies had been targeting Steven Scott, a middle schooler. They would often demand money from him. Steven was shy and scared, so he never stood up to them and just handed over the cash.However, this time, as he was walking with a girl from his class, the bullies blocked their path again. They started to pick on the girl becaus
Samantha was really happy. She lifted her finger elegantly and said softly, "One step at a time. First, we'll make sure the child is gone. Then, we'll push them to divorce, and in the end, when she's weak from losing the baby, we'll take care of her." If Shelby died as Harper's wife, then Harper would get everything, and that would be bad. The two women agreed. While reclining on their bamboo chairs, they started dreaming about their perfect future—one with the Young family and the other with all the money. Since the foot masseuse could not hear or speak, they talked freely, not worried about anyone overhearing them. After the massage, they even went to eat together. The masseuse quietly cleaned up and tidied the room. Then, she headed straight for the lookout point. The resort was in the mountains, with lots of trees and streams. The lookout was up high, with a great view of all the little mountains. It was a beautiful spot that every guest at the hotel made sure to visit.
Adalee was doubtful. "Is it really that serious? Our husband doesn't like that dowdy wife or the eldest son. Even if he's started to favor Harper more because of his marriage to the Lambert family, that still won't affect our children.""Our husband used to leave the company matters to our sons, but now he's handing them over to Harper. Who knows what the future holds?" Samantha said with a hint of malice. "We can't take that risk. We can't let Harper get too much leverage. We can't let him and his child have too great a chance to win."Adalee could see Samantha was desperate and asked anxiously, "What are you thinking of doing? She's a lawyer. She knows the law, and she's the sole heir to the Lambert family."Samantha's eyes suddenly became slits. "That's right, she's the only one who will inherit the Lambert family's fortune. With that kind of money, there are loads of people who want to trick her or get their hands on it. "She's a lawyer, not a superhero. Just wait. I'll make
It was Shelby's first visit to the Youngs' place, and by chance, she walked in on his father's so-called second and third wives being snide to Harper. His dad had not lifted a finger to help. It seemed like this was not a one-off occurrence.Was that the way they always treated him?Harper, taken aback by her blunt question, nearly slammed on the brakes. What?"Me, being pushed around in the family? That's just because I can't be bothered..." Who would waste their time arguing with a bunch of women or stoop so low as to fight with their dad's other women? That would be so embarrassing, right?However, he stopped himself mid-sentence.Because he suddenly realized that by saying that, he was making it sound like he felt bad for being 'picked on' at home.Harper slowed the car down and glanced at Shelby. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and she looked really serious. She was definitely not happy.He almost smiled, but he pushed it back down. He swallowed hard and changed his voi
She faced Samantha, not bothering to argue about inheritance rights. "You still haven't answered my earlier question. What does 'stepmother' mean?"Caught off guard by the sudden shift back to the topic, Samantha was momentarily speechless.Shelby did not wait for her to catch up. She pulled out her phone and quickly tapped the screen."Ah, I see," Shelby remarked, glancing at her phone. "According to this, 'stepmother' used to refer to a concubine in ancient times. That's similar to a servant, isn't it? So, in modern terms, it's like a maid. "Got it now. Would you mind getting me some salad? Thanks."The nerve of her, treating Samantha like a common maid! She had never been so insulted. "You!"Shelby set her phone down and met her gaze. "Since you're so curious, I'll fill you in. In the Lambert family, my word is law. If you're ever curious about me again, just ask me directly. No need to rely on rumors."Samantha bit her lip and looked to Gilbert for support, but he just sat
It was Shelby.Pregnant and in flats, she stood firm with not a hint of weakness about her.Her steady gaze fell on the two women who fancied themselves important, leaving them at a loss for words.Harper paused for just a moment, then quickly got to his feet and hurried over. "Dear!"The Young family's house was bright and airy. Harper's eyes sparkled with the unexpected joy of seeing Shelby, who had said she would not come. His face lit up with a smile.Shelby watched him, amused. She thought he was like their excited Shiba Inu, dashing over at the sight of its owner.Harper reached her side, calling out again, "Dear."Shelby gave a small nod. "Yeah."The guests at the dining table snapped out of their surprise, and Wrenley beamed. "Shelby, you're here."Shelby greeted her parents-in-law, "Mom, Dad."Wrenley hurried over to help her, her actions showing just how much she cherished her daughter-in-law.That was Shelby's first visit to the Young family since her wedding. She
Harper waited until Wrenley had said enough, andthen he spoke up."I just don't get you. Your family's loaded, my grandparents are laidback, and Dad doesn't even like you. Why stick to him? Just divorce him, take half his stuff, go home, and hang out with some young models. "That'd be way better than sticking to a lost cause. You've got no ambition."If it were Shelby, she would have left by then if he had not trapped her by getting her pregnant and holding something over her head. Why couldn't his mom be more like his wife?"In your dreams!"Wrenley, with tears in her eyes, scoffed. "The Young family wasn't always so fancy. I married him, and he promised me the moon. 'A good wife helps me reach my dreams, and I'll pay her back in gold.' And then what? "Once the Young family made it big, he just kept bringing in more women and their kids. How can I accept that? I'll fight him to the end, even if it kills me!"Harper sighed. "You want to fight him, I don't. Shelby and her baby
"An old friend?" Zara questioned. "If an old friend wanted to see me, they should be visiting the cemetery, not here."Only a very few people knew she was still alive.Shawn asked, "Is it a man or a woman?""A young man. He also said something else...""What did he say?"The butler hesitated, then relayed, "He said... The miss tricked him, and now she owes him for it."Zara was speechless.The garden fell silent for a moment, with only the whisper of the summer wind rustling through the flowers.Seconds later, Shawn set aside his tablet and smiled slightly. "Really? That sounds fun. Get him to come in. I'd like to meet him too."Zara had thought it was just a joke, but when the butler led the visitor in, she stood up in astonishment.It was him!...In Parnova, the sun shone brightly.However, in Starville, the weather was turning.The sky had been clear when Harper left home in the morning. However, when he reached the Youngs' place at noon, he saw the sun hidden behind