"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
With Griffith's foul attitude, anyone would have left long ago. But not Charlotte. Today, she had come to the mountain with a calm heart, not wanting to quarrel with Griffith. Most importantly, she found that the more she argued, the stronger Griffith's retaliation. So, why not try a different approach? He couldn't hurt her, but she could make him uncomfortable."Can I have a bite of food and some water since I've offered my prayers?" Charlotte said.Griffith didn't expect her to have such thick skin. The verbal attacks he threw at her seemed to bounce right off. Just as he was about to mock her again, she stepped past him.She said, "I'll leave after eating."Ash stood at the corner, waiting. Without waiting for Griffith to come over, he led Charlotte toward the kitchen. Charlotte walked upright, ignoring the prickly gaze behind her.She crossed the threshold in the kitchen and glanced at the mess inside. The flour used earlier had not been cleaned up. She saw Ash standing outsid
People lined up to get their bowls of pasta. Charlotte observed that everyone was quite conservative, trying to take as little as possible. The kind priest was the sneakiest of them all. He only took a single scoop of pasta and even pinched the only piece of vegetable.As a newcomer, Charlotte was seated next to Griffith. After all, she was Mrs. Griffith. She held her bowl and waited obediently. Only when everyone had already started eating did she pick up her spoon. Before taking a bite, she was very cautious, but she was still surprised when she tasted the pasta.It was so salty!She endured the discomfort and swallowed it down. When she looked up again, she saw that everyone had the same expressions, their cheeks taut and eyes hollow; they ate in large mouthfuls.It was clear they had experience. She sighed and asked Griffith, "Have you ever eaten this dish?"Griffith lit a cigarette and gave her a disdainful look. "Am I a guest?"Charlotte rephrased, "Have you tried it before
The rain continued to fall. Ash brought all the ingredients that Charlotte had requested into the kitchen. Charlotte inspected them and prepared to make several simple dishes.Griffith glanced at her."I'm making this for myself," she said calmly, adding, "I've already paid Ash for the ingredients."Griffith furrowed his brow but withdrew his gaze. Seeing that he didn't object, Charlotte let out a sigh of relief. They worked quietly for a while, each in their corner. When Charlotte finished preparing a dish, she placed them all on a tray.She made roasted chicken, a simple salad, pumpkin soup, and meatballs. Along with the berries she brought up the mountain, it was just enough to make a tableful.Griffith was busy preparing another batch of pasta the entire time, ignoring her. But he was well aware of what she was doing. Ash brought Julie with him. Upon seeing Charlotte, Julie's eyes lit up, and she was about to call out. Charlotte raised a finger to her lips, gesturing for her t
The clergy gave everyone a lit candle before the service began. Charlotte sat beside Griffith, the candle illuminating their dark eyes. She glanced at Griffith, who remained expressionless. Charlotte dared not let out a breath. The memorial hall was filled with flower arrangements and floral wreaths with a card on them. There was a particular flower arrangement that stood out among the rest in terms of its size. Charlotte guessed it might be from Katie. From the look of it, everyone, including Griffith's childhood friends and close acquaintances, knew it was the anniversary of his mother's passing.Even Charlotte's eldest cousin-sister, Madeline, who was overseas, had still offered a fresh floral wreath early that morning. Undoubtedly, it had been the same for the past three years.By comparison, Charlotte felt like an outsider, just like Griffith had been to her.After this would be dinner, followed by a nighttime commemorative event. They would have to attend them all. Back in 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