In the coffee shop downstairs, Charlotte listened to Arthur's words in disbelief. "Impossible! Do you know how old William is?"Arthur shrugged helplessly. "The intelligence of a genius is not restricted by age."Charlotte was dumbfounded.Arthur continued, "A few months ago, we discovered that someone had been hacking into the company's network, entering and leaving our program as they pleased. Our in-house programmers have been tirelessly patching loopholes, but every time they fix one, this person finds a new issue. Just causing trouble would be one thing, but the day before yesterday, the online launch of a game that the Wilson Corp invested in was disrupted by this individual, resulting in a delay."Charlotte still found it surreal. "How do you know it's William?""Geniuses have opponents of their caliber, too. With a genius as our opponent, Wilson Corp has naturally recruited talents from top universities."Charlotte was left speechless. She recalled how William had treated
William reluctantly got into the car. When Julie saw the stranger, she woke up a bit, rubbing her eyes and looking back at him. However, she quickly noticed that William looked fierce, so she moved back.Ash drove away from the police station and passed by Wilson Corp's building. Coincidentally, Griffith's car was parked by the roadside. Charlotte's heart raced when she saw it. She prayed that Ash wouldn't stop the car, but unfortunately, her prayers went unanswered. Ash stopped the car.Turning her head, she noticed William, who had been pretending to sleep, was now looking at Griffith standing by his car.The LED display illuminated the area, and King City felt cooling on the April night. Griffith was wearing only a black shirt under his suit jacket, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing his well-defined muscles.Charlotte thought he must not be afraid of the cold.In contrast, William, also tall, was wearing a windbreaker. He didn't have the same broad shoulders
His voice was neither loud nor soft, just audible enough to drift out of the car and reach Griffith's ears.Charlotte saw him pause momentarily, his hand clutching the sleeve of his suit. She swallowed hard.Tobias. He most likely didn't know that name.Ash walked over, apparently not having heard clearly. He broke the awkward silence, asking, "Young Master, where would you like to go?"Charlotte was sitting in the car and couldn't see the man's face, but she could feel the chill in the air for some reason.He didn't answer. William sneered and was about to speak up, but Charlotte quickly covered his mouth.Outside, Griffith's expression stiffened for a few seconds, visibly turning emotionless, and even his taunting look disappeared. He paid no attention to William and headed straight for the business car.The world fell silent again.However, Julie poked her head out of the front seat and shouted, "Brother, what is 'unfortunate situation' supposed to mean?"Charlotte was spee
"Although I have some influence with the Young Master and can temporarily get William out of trouble, it doesn't mean everything's fine. Mr. William has committed a serious offense, and if you calculate the economic losses carefully, he won't even need to take the college entrance exam; his next five years are done for." In other words, he would likely end up in jail.Charlotte knew that the situation wouldn't be resolved so easily. It was fortunate that they managed to get William out tonight. Griffith wouldn't have spared anyone if it weren't for Julie's interference."Where is he going tonight?" she asked."I don't know," Ash replied. "The day after tomorrow is Madam's death anniversary. The Young Master has arranged a memorial ceremony at Blissful Church, and we will be going up the mountain tomorrow morning."Charlotte understood the implication of his words, but she felt that Griffith would find a way to kick her out even if she attended the event.With these thoughts in m
"He didn't show up on your parents' memorial day either, did he?" Ava said.Hearing this, Charlotte smiled bitterly. Indeed, that had just happened not long ago."What Griffith did was really out of line," Ava said.Charlotte was moved. "Ava, you're right.""But you have to go," Ava continued.Charlotte was confused."He might not be decent, but we can't compete with him to see who's worse. Putting aside everything else, you two are still legally married, living under the same roof, and you even once shared a bed."Ava cleared her throat and continued, "Even if you're just friends, since you know he's holding a memorial service for his late mother, attending is a matter of showing respect. If you didn't know, that'd be one thing, but it would be inappropriate if you did and chose not to go.""But if I go, he'll drive me out.""Then throw money in his face. Shatter his pride with your kindness!"Charlotte still had some reservations."If you expect something from him and feel
The drizzle became slightly heavier. Charlotte returned to her car to fetch some sausages to feed the dog. After several trips back and forth, her coat was covered in droplets. The old dog, Spike, remembered her house and walked her back. When they reached the door, he only left after seeing her open it.Charlotte felt a bit disappointed. She had finally encountered a familiar dog. The lock on the door of the old courtyard had been changed this year, and it was easy to open. As she entered, she switched on the lights. Fortunately, everything was still intact.The sun lamp her grandfather had installed years ago still hung from the ceiling, illuminating the entire courtyard at night. However, with age, it had lost some of its luster. She lifted her head, and sure enough, the old berry tree was laden with ripe fruit in shades of purple and red, looking incredibly tempting.Feeling her heart warm, she ignored the rain and went to open the door of the main hall. The room was pitch-black
Everything had just been set up inside the service hall, and the hall was lit with candles. Griffith was offering his prayers. Ash entered from outside but didn't want to interrupt Griffith. Only when he finished did Ash step forward.When Griffith heard his words, his face turned cold."Tell her to leave."Ash already knew he would say this. He held a potted violet in his arms, with the pot soaked in water, and his white shirt was stained."What about this flower?" he asked.Griffith glanced at it. He was about to tell him to discard the pot of violets. Ash casually glanced at the priest. The priest looked up and said, "Mr. Griffith, have you brought a guest this year?" Ash hastily replied, "It's Mr. Griffith's wife."Griffith frowned. The priest hesitated for a moment, and his tone became more cautious. It took him a while to say, "The rain outside is quite heavy."Griffith's face remained stern, seemingly indifferent to the flower. Ash wiped the flowerpot and placed it on t
Charlotte had just turned the corner when Ash approached, holding a bag."I'm heading down the mountain now," she said.Ash handed her the bag and gestured towards the first room to the east, saying, "Go change your clothes in there."Charlotte opened the bag and guessed they were Julie's clothes. She glanced back at him.Ash said, "I'll talk to young master and buy you some time."Charlotte found it somewhat amusing. Did Ash think she was scared of Griffith? Frankly, she wasn't afraid. She was just caught in an awkward situation. She responded to his words and thanked him. Following Ash's indication, she found the room.Opening the door, she found a tidy single room. Worried about running into Griffith again, she hastened her actions. After Ash said he would look for her outside the room, he headed to the kitchen.Griffith had a lot of pent-up frustration from the previous night, so he decided to change into fresh clothes. Of course, he entered his room without knocking. Charlo
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