Ash glanced at the woman and extended his hand."Please hand over the item to me first."The woman was somewhat guarded, moving aside with her grandson in her arms."It belongs to us.""It's not! It's Charlotte's!" Julie interrupted, hugging Ash. "It's ours!""It's ours!" the woman shouted, looking at Charlotte and Griffith. "We bought it for over forty dollars!"A hint of disgust flashed in Griffith's eyes. "Over forty dollars?""Yes.""It's a fully diamond-studded ornament. How could it be worth only around forty dollars?""What do you mean it's diamond-studded? We bought it for over forty dollars!" The woman insisted even though she knew nothing about the ornament.Some bystanders understood. Someone aimed their phone at the ornament in the child's arms and zoomed in."It's a diamond-studded design! Not the regular one!""I haven't seen this in the castle. What year's design is this?""It feels like a collector's edition."Listening to the discussions, Charlotte's earl
The situation was clarified, but the truth wasn't fully revealed. The woman clearly didn't understand anything about collectibles but kept insisting."My daughter bought it! There can't be a mistake!""Why not call your daughter over?" Someone suggested.Only then did she remember. Shaking with anger, she called her daughter's number repeatedly. Soon, an elegant young woman wearing glasses squeezed through the crowd. She held a Minnie Mouse doll in her arms, and the packaging resembled Charlotte's.People quickly deduced what had happened. Puzzled, the older woman looked at her daughter and asked, "How did the toy end up with you?""I found it under the tree, and there were snacks next to it. I knew it was his. Mom, where did you take him? You scared me!"Someone in the crowd commented, "Well, your mom almost made that young lady faint.""That's right, she just went ahead and grabbed it."Her daughter looked confused, but she got furious and scolded the little boy, saying,
"Why didn't you report it to the police? Is it necessary for you to fight over it?" Griffith remarked.Charlotte stared at the diamond-studded Minnie collectible item. Her lips pursed behind the mask, feeling indignant as she recalled the recent events."You don't understand. Before you arrived, almost everyone accused me!"That grandmother was like a bandit. Even if I gave it to her, what could I do if she damaged it?"And, if she left, I wouldn't be able to explain things later. I'd be unjustly accused!"Charlotte had already thought it through. Delaying even a minute would help. Sooner or later, Lucy and the others would return, and at the very least, the staff would intervene.In any case, it belonged to her, and she wouldn't let it go. She couldn't afford to be wrongly accused. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, saying, "I hate it most when people wrongly accuse me."Griffith's eyes flickered for a moment.He suspected that she was implying something to him. He
Charlotte was just casually saying. Just then, Lucy and others had returned. Along the way, they had heard about the incident and surrounded her, asking about the situation.Mary was the most excited. She had previously suspected something was happening between Charlotte and Griffith, but she didn't expect them to be husband and wife.The girls gathered to chat, and Ash quietly walked over to Griffith."Young Master, I know you have a lot of money."Griffith gave him a sidelong glance."But, please don't give money to Madam."Griffith frowned. He had already thought about whether to give Charlotte three to five million dollars to let her forget about that unpleasant incident. However, Ash saw through him, making him feel a bit uncomfortable. "I wasn't going to apologize to her," Griffith solemnly said.Ash sneered inwardly.As the weather grew hotter, Julie was no longer interested in playing. Coincidentally, Griffith received a call from Eli, asking if he had time to visit t
Griffith maintained a stoic expression. "You handle it. If she starts crying, console her."Rolling her eyes, she approached Julie, attempting to end the drama. Julie engaged in a game of hide-and-seek with her while chatting with Eli over the phone.Eli teased Julie, "If Charlotte doesn't sleep with Griffith, will you sleep with Ash?""I..." Julie began to respond."Julie," Ash called out.Julie froze in her tracks, but Charlotte didn't move to snatch the phone from her. Her curiosity got the better of her, and even Lucy and Mary perked up their ears. However, Griffith took the phone from Julie, turned off the speaker, and resumed the call with Eli."Party pooper!" Charlotte glanced at him.Ash led Julie away, coaxing her to sit under a nearby tree while eating bread. Meanwhile, Griffith and Eli exchanged a few more words before ending the call."Are we ready to leave now?" Ash inquired."Yes! Let's go find Elizilla!" Julie raised her hand and called out.Griffith had no obj
Eli led the way to the villa, where the servants had prepared a buffet. Charlotte and the others strolled through the food area while the men sipped wine in the corridor."What happened to the two of you?" Eli was dead curious. After all, keeping Griffith in Portchester City for a few days was quite an accomplishment for Charlotte.Griffith ignored him.Ash passed by, saying, "Young Master suspects that Madam has unclear ties with her first love."Griffith looked up and glared at Ash.Eli's eyes sparkled with interest. "That's exciting."Ash walked away with a plate.Eli immediately asked Griffith, who was seated, "Is this true? Were you cheated on?"Griffith threw him a sinister look. "You seem happy about it."Eli restrained himself slightly. "I'm concerned about you. Outraged, you know?"When did this happen? Did you catch her in the act? No, wait, you look guilty. Perhaps you wronged Charlotte?"Griffith scoffed.Before he could speak, Ash passed by again."I think not
"Also, I think it's understandable that she keeps in touch with her first love. Can you really expect her to be romantically involved with you, with your script of coercion?" Griffith's expression darkened. He glanced at the glass by his side and grabbed it.Eli quickly got up, smiling. "Relax, bro."Griffith glanced at him icily and placed the glass back on the table."What does she want that I haven't already given her? The Scott family is trash. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't even bother with them," Griffith remarked."Yes, your money is in place, but you are not. Do you go home every day?" Eli said.Griffith was speechless.In the early days of their marriage, he didn't want to please Charlotte too much. But he would still come home. However, he was extremely busy, having to face countless enemies. Despite being in the city, he was often on business trips that lasted for more than ten days. And the longest one kept him away from home for three months.Every time he came
The "Seven Up" game required participants to count sequentially from zero. If the number they were about to say was exactly seven, fourteen, seventeen, or any other number related to or multiples of seven, they had to say "Seven Up." If they got it wrong, they would be eliminated. It may seem simple, but it tested reaction time. Shouting too slowly could also lead to elimination.Initially, Charlotte was worried about Julie, but after trying a round, she realized that her reaction time was not as good as Julie's, and she became nervous. Moreover, Julie was bold.In the first round, Julie lost and chose Dare. She hugged Ash and kissed him without hesitation, leaving everyone in shock."Wow," Eli exclaimed."Julie, you haven't drawn a dare yet.""A Dare is a kiss. I've played it before, I know!"She touched her forehead, asking Griffith, "Have you played with her before?"Griffith was also speechless. He glanced at Eli and said, "You took her out to play before, and she returned k
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