Charlotte regained some clarity and saw the doctor. She immediately reacted as if facing a mortal enemy and kept shrinking away. Seeing this, Griffith held her in his arms and pulled her arm away to allow the doctor to quickly bandage it."I won't see the doctor! I won't!" She repeated this incessantly, to the point that it shocked even Ash, but Griffith remained composed. He firmly controlled her body and used his hand to cover her eyes."The doctor is only here to check your wound, and he'll leave quickly. Charlotte, please cooperate."As she heard these words, the woman's disoriented state seemed to stabilize somewhat. Then, she snuggled against him. The room fell silent again, filled only with the doctor's soft and subtle movements.Ten minutes later, the wound was properly treated, but Charlotte remained motionless. Griffith suddenly felt his heart race. He looked down and noticed that she was flushed red in the face and had fainted.He immediately looked at the doctor. The d
"Brother, did Charlotte get sick?""Yes, she has a fever and needs to take medicine.""In that case, I'll save the slice of cake with the most strawberries for Charlotte."Charlotte overheard this conversation while in a daze and recognized the voices of Ash and Julie. A slight smile formed at the corner of her mouth.Was she sick? With a fever? She felt very hot all over and uncomfortable.She opened her eyes to a warm, dimly lit room, with mostly black and white tones. It had a somewhat morbid atmosphere. Could this be Griffith's room?She attempted to move slightly, but her arm hurt intensely, and then dizziness overwhelmed her. She couldn't muster any strength to move her limbs and fell back onto the bed heavily.She gasped lightly, and fragmented memories started flashing through her mind. Water, chill, kisses, warmth. And those cold and profound eyes that she had looked into while capturing his lips, repeating her plea, "Please, don't leave."She sat stunned on the bed, a
Charlotte had no knowledge of the type of medicine Griffith had administered, but after taking it, her head began to feel heavy, and she sensed her illness intensifying.Struggling to rise from the bed, she pushed the room's door open and found herself surrounded by darkness.With a parched mouth, she located a large jug of water and drank it voraciously before settling onto the couch. Her mind was somewhat clear but still muddled.At that moment, her stomach emitted a loud growl; she was hungry. Then, a sweet aroma wafted from the table, and she spotted a cake. She vaguely remembered it as the cake Griffith had prepared for his son's birthday.Her thoughts were limited in her current state, but hunger drove her to desire food. She cut a substantial slice of cake, moved to a dimly lit corner of the living room where she could go unnoticed, and devoured the cake as if she hadn't eaten in days.Griffith, upon hearing the noise, left the study to investigate. The living room appeared
Charlotte was fully aware that she was experiencing an episode, but she had an instinctual urge to deny it.Griffith attempted to pull her away, but she resisted and moved further inside. In their standoff, each time he tugged at her, it resembled trying to coax a cat hiding under a bed. The more he pulled, the more she retreated.Ultimately, he had no choice but to pick her up entirely, which took her by surprise. The man then sat down with her in his lap and held her tightly."Don't move!" he ordered.Charlotte, while breathing heavily, tried to communicate with him. "Griffith, don't worry about me. Let me go; I'm having an episode."Now, she was speaking more coherently. He inquired, "Weren't you stubbornly denying it earlier?""I am sick! I am! Let go of me quickly!" she insisted.Griffith frowned, examining the food remnants on the floor and her uncontrollable behavior. He couldn't help but feel frustrated. "So, if I let you go, you'll eat yourself to death?"Charlotte was
After Charlotte received a response, she paused for a moment before starting to ramble again. "Griffith, where are we going? Is your car broken? It feels a bit shaky."He turned to look at her. She was literally making herself shaky.He sighed and furrowed his brows. "The car's broken. Don't move around.""Ah, alright, I won't move," she replied.She licked her lips, gazing at his face and suddenly said, "You didn't celebrate your son's birthday. Will he be upset?"What was going on? She seemed fixated on the child.Griffith glanced at her and said, "No.""He will be! He'll be upset!" She mumbled to herself and added, "You should leave me behind and go celebrate your son's birthday."Griffith swiftly turned the car in one direction and sped up. Meanwhile, Charlotte continued speaking rapidly, with her focus never straying far from the ‘son.’When they reached the old town area with traditional courtyard houses, Griffith stopped the car and took her out of the passenger seat. H
Ever since Griffith had issues with his ears, he had been receiving treatment from Mike, and the old man had a good reputation in both medical skill and ethics. He never disclosed anything about his patients to others, and, to be honest, Griffith held a great deal of respect for him.However, it was a bit awkward to be scrutinized by his elder with the expression that seemed to say, "You actually cheated?""I don't," he replied.Charlotte became displeased and immediately expressed her irritation, raising her voice, "Yes, you do! I know you have a son who is several years old."Griffith was on the brink of going insane, and he firmly held her down. "Who told you that?"Mike sighed and advised him, "Regardless of whether it's true or not, you should comfort her first. She's clearly quite fixated on this issue, and that's why she's been going off the rails during her episodes."Griffith nodded and looked back at Charlotte. "Charlotte, listen to me. Don't think about the child. I do
Griffith almost lost his composure, repeatedly reminding himself not to argue with someone whose mind was unclear. He retrieved his hearing aid and said, "You've seen it. Now be quiet for one minute and don't move."Charlotte blinked rapidly, remembering her promise, so despite her restless hands and feet, she forced herself to stop and began counting.Seizing the opportunity, Mike approached and drew blood from her arm. As the needle pricked her skin and pain radiated through her body, Charlotte shivered. She looked up and without thinking, grabbed Griffith's hand. Her expression appeared normal, and she continued to count without a single mistake.Griffith watched her uncomfortably, raising his hand to shield her eyes and trying to distract her. However, Charlotte didn't respond to him. She couldn't stop, as she had to count to sixty. Mike acted quickly and was done in less than a minute.Griffith held her arm, waiting for the blood to clot. Once she completed counting to sixty,
Mike assured Griffith that she wouldn't become addicted after the injection, and only then did Griffith agree. Otherwise, he would rather let Charlotte create a ruckus for the night.Returning to the room where Charlotte was, he found her kneeling at the edge of the bed, trying to get her hand free. Griffith tried to console her and engage in conversation."I'll treat you to supper later."Charlotte glanced at him. "You want to harm me."Griffith responded, "No, I don't.""Then why are you being so nice to me?"She rolled her eyes at him and continued to pull her hand away.Griffith wasn't skilled at comforting people. After his previous attempts yielded poor results, he decided to use the old method. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her toward him. While talking to her, he held her in his arms.Charlotte felt uncomfortable being held, but she wasn't as agitated as before. She raised her head and spoke to him. "Griffith, don't hug me. It's hot.""I'll just hold you for
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