"What are you doing, Griffith?" Nora looked at the people in the room, shocked.Griffith remained expressionless. He sat on the sofa, commanding the room's attention. His gaze swept the entire scene, finally settling on Charlotte. Nora couldn't help but notice Charlotte, who seemed inexplicably important today. So many people were alarmed at the slightest issue she had."What's going on?" she asked again.Griffith, impatient, responded, "Ash."Ash walked over and explained the situation. Nora frowned. "If she's not here, she's left!""She hasn't left!" Charlotte emerged, her tone resolute. "My friend must be somewhere in this house!"Nora's expression soured as she said, "Are you implying that the Lewis family is secretly holding your friend captive?""You may not do something like that, but others might," replied Charlotte.Furrowing her brows, Nora immediately thought of Michelle. Michelle timely stepped forward, holding Nora's arm, and said to Griffith, "Today is Aunt
Everyone was dumbfounded as Ava was carried out, but Nora's face was the most unpleasant to look at. She quickly looked at Michelle.Michelle's face turned pale, and she grabbed Nora's arm. "Aunt...""Don't call me aunt!"Ava had been pulled out from the basement freezer. After half an hour, she had lost all color in her face. Charlotte's eyes welled up with tears, and she rushed to embrace her, quickly grabbing a blanket from the sofa and draping it over her."C-Charlotte…""Don't talk. Let's go to the hospital first.""I'm fine. I'm just a little cold. I'll feel better after I warm up. You don't need to worry," Ava said, shaking her head.At this point, Ava was still trying to comfort her. Charlotte felt extremely sorry for her."Auntie, you've seen it for yourself. It's clear who owes who an explanation." Griffith's voice was emotionless, colder than the basement freezer.Nora looked helpless. She pulled her arm out of Michelle's grip and said, "I didn't throw her in there.
After leaving the Lewis family mansion, Charlotte noticed a grand convoy of seven or eight cars waiting outside. Griffith walked ahead and got into the Bentley in the middle.Charlotte had driven her car there. She helped Ava into the front passenger seat and sat in the driver's seat. Seeing her arrangement, Ash hesitated, then turned and got into the passenger seat of the Bentley."Drive," he instructed the driver.Griffith furrowed his brows in the back seat and opened his eyes. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror.Ash explained, "Mrs. Wilson drove her car."Griffith remained silent, his lips pressed together, neither cold nor warm in his response. The driver started the car.Charlotte had arrived early, so her car was parked at the innermost spot. Now, she had to wait for them to leave first. She still planned to take a detour to the hospital on the way. The cars in front blocked her, and she couldn't change lanes despite several attempts. There was no other choice but to ca
In the private room, Charlotte looked at the menu and suddenly realized it was time for dinner. She was so anxious that her head spun and she neglected her hunger cues.Griffith ordered a table full of dishes, but she only ordered two dishes, which she requested to be packed to go.The noodles that arrived were Griffith's order. She picked up her chopsticks and paused for a moment.Griffith gave her a sidelong glance. "Who said I ordered for you?"Charlotte was speechless. When the server asked about the main course, he said the usual. She thought his order included her portion, too.The server noticed her confusion and asked, "Would you like a bowl of noodles, too?"Charlotte put down her chopsticks and smiled. "No, thank you. I'll have some rice.""But our noodles...""Which cultured person eats noodles as a main course? I want fried rice.""Ah... All right."Griffith glanced at the noodles in front of him and let out a soft sigh. He also put down his chopsticks, leaning ba
Just a moment ago, he was speaking so nicely. How did he change his demeanor so quickly?Charlotte suspected that Griffith must have been an actor in his past life, as he had perfected the art of sudden expression changes.As they left the restaurant, he didn't say anything to her. She was at a loss for words as well. After all, she had already expressed gratitude, so she decided to find Ash and inquire about Ava's condition."Your friend just had a check-up and has returned to her apartment," Ash informed her.Charlotte sincerely thanked him, glanced at the man who had already gotten into the car, and decided it was better not to provoke him further. She asked Ash for a car and immediately headed to Ava's place.Just as she turned around, Ash stopped her."How's Chicky?" he asked.Charlotte was momentarily surprised, thinking he was asking on Julie's behalf. She quickly replied, "She's doing well. Tell Julie that I'll take good care of her."She added in a hushed tone, "I'm ke
Ava was not a native of King City; her hometown was in Parve City, Quinsmore Province. She had come to King City with her parents at a young age. She had a better understanding than Charlotte of human nature and the world's ways."I acted as meek as a quail back then. When they were causing trouble, I wore a smiling face. Otherwise, before Simon could speak up, I would probably have received a few more blows," she casually said, making Charlotte tear up.Thinking about it, Ava wouldn't have had to endure all this suffering if it weren't for her.Ava noticed her mood and made a dismissive noise, saying, "It's no big deal. Back in the day, we had a crazy and eccentric customer who beat up half of our team. Our manager even took us to apologize together. That person's arrogance was beyond belief."She sighed, adding, "In our line of work, the income is quite high, but if you stay in this industry for too long, your heart becomes numb. I've already bought two houses in my hometown, and
For a brief moment, silence enveloped the downstairs area. Helen regained her composure first and grabbed Charlotte's arm, whispering, "Please try not to provoke Young Master these days."Helen's tone implied that it was only natural for Griffith to have a bad temper these days."Is there something important happening?" she asked.Helen glanced at her and said, "Don't you know?"Charlotte was puzzled. "Know what?""His mother's death anniversary is coming soon."Charlotte remembered that date precisely: April 7th. However, she found it strange. Every year on his mother's death anniversary, the old mansion would observe a day of fasting, and offerings would be prepared. But Griffith often only made a brief appearance and didn't seem to attach much importance to it. Charlotte felt he acted somewhat disdainfully, as if he didn't want the people in the old mansion to offer sacrifices to his mother.With a sigh, Helen walked away.Charlotte intended to quietly go upstairs but receiv
The man glanced at her indifferently, then picked up the car keys from the coffee table."Are you going out for a drink?" Charlotte asked.Griffith didn't bother to respond and simply left. Charlotte opened her mouth slightly, feeling like she had done her best. Accompanying him was out of the question. She lowered her head and poured herself a cup of tea.Suddenly, a cold gust of wind swept in from outside, and Griffith stormed back in, his anger palpable. Startled, Charlotte looked up at him. "What's wrong?"The man raised his hand, his eyes filled with incredulous disbelief and impending rage. Charlotte blinked and took a step towards him. She noticed something in his palm, causing her to gasp and quickly step back.His face turned pale, and he struggled to control his facial expression. His arms stiffened, keeping himself at a distance, and he barely gritted his teeth to ask, "What is this?"Charlotte swallowed hard and stammered, "Uh, this... It looks like paint.""Hmph!" T
Tanya's previous full-length mirror was still usable, but because it was small, she had to walk a bit farther every time she used it. Eli had long wanted to replace it.Little did he know, she got rid of many things in the house to make room for the new large sofa for him, including that old full-length mirror."How do you like it? Surprised?" He patted the mirror.Tanya smiled wryly and pointed to the large sofa. "And you? Surprised?" Only then did Eli notice fewer small items in the living room and a large new sofa. He suddenly chuckled. It was quite nice.He thought of her, and she thought of him. This winter was truly warm.Tanya abandoned the egg tart and hugged him again. "Oh no, this mirror is so big. There's nowhere to put it."Eli carried her with one hand and moved the mirror to the corner with the other. Sitting on the sofa, he thought for a moment, then hugged her and said, "Tanya, let's move to a bigger place."Tanya knew he had been thinking about this all along.
Eli found it amusing. He pushed the head of the small money jar and couldn't help but say, "You gold digger! You love money so much, then why did you give the check I gave you to Soraya?"Tanya blinked and chuckled. "I only acquire wealth in the proper way. To be honest…" She pondered for a moment, then turned to look at him. "Probably because, at that time, I was just too fond of you like I am now."Hearing this, Eli felt a pang of heartache and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Tanya smiled, moved the gifts aside, and made some space for him.Just as they were about to talk, Eli's phone vibrated continuously. It turned out that Bridget was sending over the detailed preparation process for the wedding.Tanya scrolled through it and suddenly felt overwhelmed. Eli looked at it and also felt a headache coming. The two glanced at each other, sighed simultaneously, and leaned back.After they publicly disclosed their relationship, life continued as usual but became busier due to the w
Eli being married was shocking enough, but then his wife was hiding right in the office. In the next half hour, Tanya heard wailing from all around.The atmosphere in their office was quite good, and everyone got along well. After coming clean, everyone joked around and teased each other."Nia, don't forget Mr. Ted, he's been cursing at you all along!""Yeah, he's been calling you a fool!""I heard it, I can testify!"Ted was furious and rushed out to hit someone. Tanya followed with laughter.Before leaving work, Amy indeed brought the cake and candies, sharing them with everyone in the building. Thus, the entire group gave them their blessings.From the office to the parking lot, Tanya received blessings. When she got into Eli's car, her heart was still pounding.Eli was happily eating his candy, feeling good. Especially now that he didn't have to sneak around anymore, he even turned the steering wheel effortlessly.Tanya, holding the cake, asked him in surprise, "Were these
Tanya walked out of the room with her guard down and came face to face with Ted's sneaky expression. She paused.Ted gasped, his brain instantly turning blank.He looked at Tanya, covered his mouth with his left hand, and placed his right hand over the left with his eyes gradually widening.God! This was insane!Tanya regained her composure and glanced in Eli's direction. Eli remained calm, glanced at the fruit plate on the table, and said, "Should we take some down to share with your colleagues?"Tanya nodded. She glanced at the still-disheveled Ted and kindly handed him a tangerine."Sir?"Ted swallowed, looked at Tanya, then at Eli. Finally, he settled his gaze on the tangerine in her hand, mechanically accepting it.Tanya turned to look at Eli. 'Look, you've scared my superior.'Eli shrugged."I'm leaving," she said.Eli nodded and escorted her to the door.Ted followed them out and was sent into the elevator by his boss. As the elevator doors closed, he let out a long
The deep blue bedsheet was neatly spread out. But the two pillows lacked pillowcases, exposed in a sorry state.Eli placed his hands on his belt and turned to look at Tanya. "Is this also your doing?"Tanya leaned against the door frame, only poking her head in, smiling sheepishly."I accidentally drooled while sleeping that day and dirtied the pillowcase. Knowing that you're a neat freak, I took them all off to wash," she said. She raised her hand and swore, "The pillowcases have been washed and are in the cabinet at home."Eli wasn't interested in the pillowcases' whereabouts. He remembered when Amy called him, saying Tanya missed him and wanted to touch the sheets and pillows after waking up.Nonsense!He took a deep breath, then turned his head to Tanya with a frightening smile. Tanya realized the danger and tried to run, but he grabbed her by the waist."Hey, what are you doing?" she said.Eli tossed her onto the bed and followed suit."What are you doing?!""Collecting
Tanya sat upright in the office. Eli stood before her with his hands behind his back. "Come on, explain."Tanya's eyes darted around. "Do you believe me? It's because I missed you too much. When I came to your place, I couldn't help but take away everything related to you." Eli scoffed. "Including the toilet paper?"Tanya pondered seriously.Eli tapped the coffee machine and pointed to the plug that had been pulled out, saying, "If the coffee machine wasn't too heavy, would you have taken that too?"'This brat has no conscience at all. Does she even understand what a cold shoulder is?'While he was reminiscing in her room, she made a fortune in his office!Tanya blinked and gave him an embarrassed smile. "If you think about it from another angle, I love you deeply. If we couldn't reconcile and you came back to see all this, you would hate me. Hate represents love, and love means you can't forget me. My obsession is so deep; I want to stay in your heart forever."Eli fell silen
"You should buy something while visiting. Do you have enough money in your account? If not, I will transfer some to you," Mrs. Moran said on the phone.Tanya didn't want money; she just wanted to hear some advice. She knew her parents' financial situation wasn't good. Due to illness, her stepfather had retired from his position as a butler of the Sterling family. Although the Sterlings provided a retirement package, Mr. Moran was getting old, and he had a son. She heard that his son's business had lost a considerable amount of money in recent years. As a stepdaughter, she had already received enough help from them, so how could she ask for more money?During her university days, she didn't ask her family for money. If she could find a part-time job, she would, and if not, she would endure it just to avoid causing her mother trouble."Mom, I don't need money. I have enough."When Mrs. Moran heard this, she felt even more sorry for her.Since her ex-husband was useless, Tanya suffer
After breakfast, Eli called Bridget."Why did you send her a check? Do you have nothing better to do?"Bridget had just arrived home and begun playing poker with a few old friends.She threw out a card, rolled her eyes, and said, "It's the first time I've met my daughter-in-law! What's wrong with giving her some money!"Eli was speechless."Madam, you came up and threw 500,000 dollars just like that. Aren't you afraid of scaring people?""What should I do? Throw 50,000 dollars instead? That's too stingy."Eli was speechless. Holding onto the railing, he glanced downstairs and saw Tanya ironing her coat in the living room."I almost got dumped because you caused a scene," he joked.Bridget threw the cards while chuckling. "It's good to be dumped. With your unruly behavior, someone should make you suffer a bit.""Are you really my mother?""If you still want to be a good son, hurry up and go through the procedures, live a proper life with Tanya, and try to give me a grandson n
"What did Her Majesty tell you?"Tanya nearly lost her composure, fighting back laughter.Bridget said nothing more as she left with Benjamin, leaving Tanya and Eli to return to the apartment. The journey back was silent, with Tanya deep in thought. Upon entering, Eli halted her at the entrance.Exhaling deeply, Tanya reached into her pocket and withdrew a check. Eli's gaze fell upon it, noting it was only for $500,000. As he moved to take it, Tanya tucked it back into her pocket. On the bar, a spread of breakfast awaited them - fried eggs, sausages, fruits, and vegetables. Despite the inviting display, Tanya's attention was on Eli."Don't you want breakfast?"With the situation still unclear, Eli's appetite waned. Nonetheless, knowing Bridget's nature, he remained calm. Seating himself opposite Tanya, he nibbled at a sausage, noticing her lack of interest."Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned.Tanya shook her head.The oversized sandwich Bridget had ordered had already