The drawing on the card depicted a man sitting on a sofa, with a woman straddling his lap, her legs spread apart, and her shins pressed against the couch, almost as if she were kneeling.Wanting to avoid this challenge, Charlotte came up with an idea. "I pick Madeline."Isabella shook her head. "No, the card shows a man."Madeline shrugged. "Sorry, can't help with this."Charlotte hesitated and then turned to Griffith.Griffith didn't look at her; he calmly sipped his tea."Hurry up, we have many more games to play," Eli urged.Clearing her throat, Charlotte turned to Griffith and said, "I pick you."Griffith gave her a puzzled look. Of course she picked him. With so many people present, she could ask anyone else, but they might refuse to play along.Their relationship was complicated, to say the least. Griffith and Charlotte were a married couple, but they had a strained relationship. Furthermore, Nicholas's group of friends assumed that Griffith was single.Now, they watche
"A rooster reporting dawn." Charlotte was furious. She pointed at the "peacock" tail and drew it a bit larger. "It's a peacock spreading its feathers!" "A flying chicken?" "A peacock!" Griffith looked at the chicken on the card, furrowed his brows, and then proceeded to guess over a dozen sentences involving chickens. Charlotte was at a loss. "Peacock!" She added two more strokes. Griffith probably realized there was an issue. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Isn't this a chicken?" "No!" People nearby were already laughing. Charlotte couldn't sit still, and she straightened her upper body, continuing to draw a patch for the peacock. With her exaggerated movements, a shadow fell over Griffith. He instinctively leaned back, and his other hand rested on his leg, protecting her. "Charlotte, the next one," Madeline reminded her. Listening to the ticking of the clock, Charlotte thought it was better to pass it. She swiftly switched to the next card, which was "chicken l
The headphones were custom-made to fully encompass the ears, and Charlotte could tell they wouldn't be comfortable to wear. As expected, within just a minute, Griffith adjusted his headphones, displaying an expression of discomfort on his face. Charlotte quickly seized the opportunity to turn off the timer.The others were bewildered. She hurriedly explained, "He has an ear infection recently, and he can't wear headphones for too long."With that, she removed Griffith's headphones.The moment Griffith's ears were exposed, he heard her say, "Let him rest for a moment; these headphones aren't comfortable."Eli was displeased, "He's not that delicate.""Charlotte, you're not playing fair." "I'm a newcomer; isn't it a must for you to take care of me?" Charlotte retorted.Nicholas wanted to say something, but Charlotte interrupted, "Oh, come on."The others laughed, and Nicholas surrendered, nodding. "Okay, since you’re a newbie, let's take a minute's break."Charlotte gave him a
Charlotte was satisfied with the responses. However, she remembered that she still had to cooperate with him later. Her eyes darted around, and she said, "Actually, my drawing is just average."He gave her a glance.She straightened up, not wanting to provoke him and unwilling to admit her drawing wasn't good. "But it's definitely recognizable as a peacock. You should pay more attention next time," she said.Griffith snorted.To avoid any awkwardness, Charlotte poured him a little more wine and offered a sweet smile. Griffith appeared cold, but he still took the glass and drank."Enough of this." Eli tapped on the table. "Hurry up and guess the other half."Everyone placed their wine glasses down.Charlotte didn't hesitate and stood up. She noticed that Griffith was sitting steadily, so she decided to continue. Griffith was unprepared as she pushed him onto the sofa. When he looked up, she was already sitting on him, preparing to draw; she clutched her notebook and pen, poised
Nicholas gestured for silence in the room, hushing everyone around the sofa. A hush fell over the area as Eli and Nicholas exchanged meaningful glances. Michael, noting their expressions, fetched a damp cloth and placed it on Nicholas's head.Madeline leaned against Isabella, casting a glance at Charlotte, who had now settled down, and asked, "Can you understand this?"Griffith remained silent.With a sigh, Madeline began erasing some parts of the drawing. "Time's almost up," she reminded Charlotte.Isabella started counting down.Charlotte, left with no choice, prodded the card and repeated, "I love you. Can you understand? I. Love. You."As the countdown neared its end, Griffith calmly and clearly stated, "I love you." It was the same tone he used in everyday life, cold and deep, but perhaps due to alcohol, it was slightly husky.Charlotte felt a tingling in her ears. Before she could react, Isabella announced, "It's overtime."Charlotte froze and turned her head quickly. "Wh
Charlotte doubted whether Griffith would be willing to help her after having him play the game. However, she remembered that Griffith usually accommodated Madeline's requests.She glanced at Griffith's back. His body leaned forward, and after a while, he actually got up. Charlotte was surprised, but she quickly regained her composure. She pursed her lips and, with her hands behind her back, took a step back.Griffith stopped in front of the row of boxes and decided to randomly choose one. Eli feigned a cough, but Griffith ignored him. However, when he glanced at the sofa, Isabella was gesturing for him to choose the third box. He sighed inwardly. He wasn't trying to win Charlotte over, so why bother trying to please her? Despite that, he still stopped in front of the third box.Charlotte quickly interjected, "I'll choose the last one."Griffith glanced at her and remarked, "You claimed your luck was bad. Do you expect me to believe you?"Charlotte hesitated; she didn't feel comfor
Charlotte circulated around with the puppy, and everyone expressed a desire to have it, but they playfully refused to return it to her when they left. Charlotte wasn't gullible; she understood they were teasing her. She took a seat beside Griffith, cradling the puppy, and remarked, "The rules only instructed us to give it and didn't specify what to do if the other person doesn't accept."She gazed at Griffith and added, "I'm giving it to you."Eli interjected, "Is this a coerced gift?"Charlotte confirmed, "Indeed, it's a coerced gift."Laughter erupted from the group.Griffith took a sip of wine, placed his glass down, and made a sudden move to reach for the puppy, as if to take it back.Charlotte swiftly evaded his hand. "What are you doing?""Didn't you give it to me?" he inquired."I'll hold onto it for you." She held the puppy close and said, "It's surprisingly heavy.""Heavy?" Griffith thought she was talking nonsense. He knew he had to handle the puppy with care, as i
Charlotte's face had taken on a rosy hue from all the drinking. Even Eli joined in, offering her a drink and declaring that they were now friends."In the future, whether Griffith is here or not, we'll still be friends, alright?" Eli proclaimed."Alright!" Charlotte agreed enthusiastically.She was about to take another sip when a hand suddenly reached out from the side and snatched her drink. Blinking her eyes, she turned to the side, meeting Griffith's displeased gaze, nearly stumbling in the process.Griffith reached out to steady her. "Stay still."She pouted, clutching the puppy, and obediently stood still.Eli watched, amused. "What's going on? I'm toasting Charlotte, not you."Charlotte nodded in agreement and attempted to retrieve her glass from Griffith's grasp."What are you doing?" Griffith placed his hand on her head, preventing her from reaching for the glass of wine.Eli chuckled. "You two are quite entertaining."Griffith ignored him, finishing the drink in one
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