Charlotte was about to sit down when Griffith rapped his knuckles on the table. Everyone looked confused, including Charlotte, who turned to him."Head," he uttered.Oh, she remembered now. She pursed her lips and glanced at the hostess beside her. "Is there a place where I can wash my hair?"The young woman thought she wanted to get a hair treatment or something. She quickly replied, "Yes, in Area C.""Could you please take me there?""Sure."The girl was about to accompany Charlotte, but Nicholas leaned back, pointing to Allison. "You take her. Buy some snacks on the way; don't let Charlotte get bored."Allison hesitated but eventually got up. "Alright, you can trust me."Charlotte wanted to refuse, as she didn't particularly like this girl. She was beautiful, ambitious, and capable, but it seemed she lacked a sense of propriety. Although she and Griffith were divorced, outsiders were not aware of it. Even Nicholas, when he saw her, referred to her as ‘Mrs. Wilson’. This girl
"Do you not like Charlotte?""I don't."Eli teased, "Then why are you having a baby with her?"Nicholas was amused by Eli's mocking tone.Hearing this, Griffith clicked his tongue. Eli's mouth was too mischievous; Griffith wanted to stuff the poker cards into it.Nicholas was waiting for Griffith to explain further. It didn’t make sense for them to have faked the pregnancy.Griffith furrowed his brow and tapped the table. "Can we play? If not, I’ll go home."Eli burst into laughter.Nicholas said, "Let's wait until Charlotte comes back."He kept addressing her as ‘Charlotte’, as if he was close to her. Griffith was getting a bit annoyed and shot him a glare.Nicholas, confident, said, "Today is my birthday.""Are you celebrating your birthday by being more annoying than usual?"Nicholas fell silent. Eli gestured to a hostess, setting up the first game to keep Griffith entertained before Charlotte returned.Meanwhile, in Area C, Allison led Charlotte into the room and calle
The private room Griffith was in was small, and there was a larger room outside, containing several of Nicholas's friends and a number of hostesses.In the small room, there was only one poker table. When Charlotte entered, she overheard a girl asking, "Mr. Walker, why didn't Mr. Creed come today?"Nicholas laughed and replied, "Olivia, are you asking for yourself, or are you asking for Isabella?"Laughter erupted in the private room. Olivia, the girl who had asked the question, had sharp eyes and spotted Charlotte and Allison entering. She quickly vacated a seat for them.Nicholas instructed someone to bring chips and switched Charlotte's chair to a sofa. "Do you know how to play poker, Charlotte?"‘Of course! I'm great at it!’ she thought. Charlotte held a throw pillow and shook her head. Griffith sat opposite her and could tell that her innocent appearance boded trouble."It's okay if you don't. It's quite simple." Nicholas explained the rules and said, "Play two rounds, and y
Charlotte pushed her cards onto the table and carefully checked. "It looks like I've won, huh?"Nicholas and the others were a bit incredulous, but when they leaned in to look, it was indeed true.Eli readily grabbed some chips and said, "Beginner's luck. That's normal."Nicholas also chuckled and brought out four to five thousand dollars in chips. Charlotte took them all, licked her lips, and looked a little embarrassed."I only won because you guys went easy on me, right?""Not really. Charlotte, you just have good luck," Nicholas said.Charlotte beamed and looked across at Griffith, who hadn't even reached for his wallet.She only glanced at him and then bit her lip, lowering her head to arrange the chips given by Nicholas and Eli while obediently counting them.Eli couldn't stand it and teased Griffith. "You should still pay even if you’re husband and wife. What? Trying to get out of it?"Charlotte hurriedly interjected, "No, no, Griffith doesn't have to give me money; wha
The third round ended in a strange atmosphere.Charlotte won again."I told you, you guys are definitely letting me win!" The gloom on her face disappeared, and she looked happily at the three people at the table.Nicholas and Eli happily paid her. Nicholas was out of small chips, so he took a 30,000 chip.Charlotte carefully took it and said, "I won't give you the change for now. Maybe I'll lose the next round and give it all back to you.""No problem." Nicholas didn't mind.Across from her, Griffith felt that something was wrong but couldn't put his finger on it. As he picked up the chips, he looked at Charlotte. She smiled broadly at him, stood up and reached across the table, taking the chips from his hand."Give them back!"Charlotte sat down with the chips in her hand and shook them in front of him. "It's okay, what's mine is yours!"Griffith sighed inwardly.The fourth round began, and the men were all getting a bit serious. However, Charlotte played with an innocent e
Before the third round, Allison had her doubts about Charlotte, but those doubts were dispelled when Charlotte lost all her chips. Even in a situation like luring the enemy deeper into the trap, you still need some bait. With nothing in hand, how could she win?"Ms. Charlotte, you've been very generous," Allison said.Charlotte shrugged. "No problem.""Would you like to continue playing?""I'm done.""Then, how about I lend you some chips? It's still early, and if you're in the mood, you can play a few more rounds. If you lose, it's on me."Charlotte seemed taken aback for a moment and gave her a silent glance. Everyone in the room could tell that Allison was being somewhat provocative. However, Allison slowly withdrew her gaze, choosing not to engage.Eli watched from the side and found it interesting. He turned to Griffith and thought, 'Your wife is being bullied.'Griffith's expression remained indifferent, as if he didn't care, but Eli knew him well and understood that he w
The silence in the private room broke. Someone did the math and realized that because Allison had raised the stakes before the game started, Charlotte had just won all the chips in front of her in this round, and Allison was now indebted by 40,000 dollars.Griffith wasn't faring much better; he had lost most of his previous winnings. As for Eli, he had played the role of a spendthrift throughout. Charlotte put down her cards and took out a handkerchief from her purse to wipe her fingers."It seems like both Mr. Walker and Ms. Allison are looking out for me," she remarked.Allison's face turned pale as she stared at Charlotte's cards, still somewhat in disbelief. It wasn't about the money for her, but the fact that someone she looked down upon in her own area of expertise had played her and made her furious.Charlotte had already started collecting the money, and without a word from Allison, she started moving her own chips. When it was Griffith's turn, she noticed his gaze. She did
In the large private room, a massive cake was placed in the center, surrounded by a circle of people, all gathered for Nicholas's celebration. Charlotte held a plate in her hand, seemingly there to eat the cake, but her mind was elsewhere.She turned and locked eyes with Griffith, who was sitting on the couch. He had found out her secret, and now he was accusing her of cheating, though her skills were legitimate. This kind of game wasn't worthy of her using deceit.As she was contemplating this, a young woman carrying the cake passed by her, and the scent of fresh cream wafted by. Charlotte wrinkled her nose, feeling a bit hungry. She tiptoed and looked at the cake, which was covered in cherries. She liked cherries.Ash came over and helped Julie cut the cake. He was tall and easily scraped off a whole row of cherries. Charlotte looked at him enviously. Ash glanced at her. She flashed her trademark smile, hoping he would share some with her."If you stand on your toes, you can reac
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