In the presidential suite, Griffith sat on the sofa sipping tea. Charlotte and Ava stood at the entrance of the only restroom."Why doesn't such a large suite have guest rooms?" Charlotte asked."It's a private space. Why should there be room for guests?" Griffith retorted.Charlotte was speechless."Then, you can sleep in the restroom, and Ava and I can sleep in your big bedroom," she suggested."You're well aware that it's a big bedroom, yet you made such a request?" he questioned."Tsk, just compromise," she replied."No," he said.However, Charlotte stood firm, hands on hips.Still, Griffith wasn't bothered. "There's only one restroom. You figure it out yourselves."Ava raised her hand."Go on," Charlotte said."I'll stay in the restroom. You can sleep on the sofa in Mr. Wilson's room, and Mr. Wilson can sleep on the bed.""Do you still have your ID card?" Charlotte asked."Why?" Ava inquired."I suspect you're not human.""There's no other way." Ava walked directly
Charlotte sat in front of the large glass window, her dark eyes fixed on the periodically appearing new fish species."What's that one?" she asked."Angelfish.""And is that a clownfish?""Yeah."For every question she asked, Griffith could provide a clear answer."Do you have to learn all this to keep fish as a CEO?" she asked.Griffith sat on the sofa behind her and said, "No.""Then how do you know all this?""I don't need to know this as a CEO. But it comes in handy if you're watching fish with someone who lacks culture."She turned to look at him, blinked, and tilted her head. What did he mean? The game suddenly began. Wasn't it an unexpected event that she was left in his room watching the fish?Realizing something, she cleared her throat and said, "So, you're quite good at being prepared.""Be prepared for any eventuality," Griffith said.Charlotte sat on the carpet, quietly turning to face the large fish tank again. The blue ambiance lights made her face glow softl
The room wasn't brightly lit, with only the dim glow from the fish tank casting intermittent waves of light. It swept from Griffith's position to the coffee table, then settled on Charlotte, repeating the cycle."I can't sleep, maybe because I'm a bit excited," Charlotte said, dismantling the cards. "I'll call Ava over, and maybe we can play a game.""Not interested," Griffith replied.Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Two people can't play much. We can only compare cards or play a simple game.""A simple game?""Yeah." Charlotte put a white currant in her mouth, demonstrating to him. "You play a card, and I play a card. We keep going. If the same card appears twice, the person who gets the pair takes all the cards in that segment. Whoever collects the most cards wins.""Childish," Griffith commented."You've never played it."Griffith turned off the projector, sat up on the sofa, and leaned on the coffee table, watching her shuffle the cards."You have short limbs," he teased.Cha
"Alright, alright." Charlotte waved her hand. "If you don't want to play, just sit there and be bored. You're such a difficult person."Griffith gave her a chilling glance.She laughed and said, "You're too serious.""You begged me to play.""I didn't beg. I invited you." She split the cards in half and leaned forward, placing her hand on the coffee table with her legs stretched toward him.Griffith was taller than her, and he was sitting. When she leaned forward, his line of sight easily entered her neckline. He caught a glimpse of her snow-white skin. He tilted his head to avoid the view."You first," she said.Griffith wasn't interested in the cards, but he enjoyed talking to Charlotte late at night and watching her sitting across from him like a well-behaved child.He leaned forward, picked up the cards, and said, "If I win, you'll give me a shoulder massage."Charlotte thought for a moment and found it reasonable.She opened her hand. "Five minutes.""Ten minutes," he b
Charlotte's eyes turned, realizing Griffith wanted to let her win.She looked down at him and stammered, "Y-your cheating is ineffective."Griffith hooked his lips, his gaze sweeping across her face. His lips moved slightly, and he said, "You gauged the heart of a gentleman with your mean measure."Charlotte bit her lip, returned the cards to him, and chuckled flatteringly. "I never expected Mr. Wilson to be so magnanimous deep down, letting me win like this.""You brought up your grandfather at the beginning. Wasn't that a hint for me to let you win?""No…"He glanced at her and deliberately said, "You scheming woman."Charlotte opened her mouth, momentarily unable to speak. How could she have known he would deliberately let her win?"Never mind, consider this my loss.""Are you giving up on the dress?""It's just a dress." Charlotte stood up, put on her slippers, and circled behind him. "Shoulder massage?"Griffith leaned back, and the back of his head touched her soft bel
Charlotte lay on the back of the sofa, turning her head to see the sturdy back of the man. She was taken aback.The next second, Griffith calmly lay down on the bed."Come over and massage me."Charlotte turned her face, her eyes blinking rapidly.This… Where to massage? How to massage? Did he mean for her to only massage him?Her mind was monotonously constructing countless scenarios, but her body had already reacted. She climbed up from the ground and went to the huge bed.Griffith lay on the pillow with his eyes closed. When he felt the bed sink beside him, he said, "Pound my back."Charlotte, whose thoughts were running well, couldn't help but mock herself when she heard his straightforward tone."Pounding is tiring," she said."Is there an additional charge?" Griffith asked.Charlotte laughed, her palm against his neck. She gently squeezed and, using both hands, forcefully pinched his shoulder muscles. "It's strenuous work. Please tip accordingly."He was enjoying it so
"I'll add another five minutes for you," she said in a softer tone."Sit on my waist and massage," he requested.Charlotte was momentarily stunned. "No, the way I'm doing it is fine."It wasn't fine at all. She sat on the side, and her massage didn't follow the body's contours. She had to press on each side separately, making it laborious. However, sitting on his waist crossed a certain line, and she felt it was too much.Lying down, when Griffith heard her refusal, he opened his eyes. He was just testing her, seeing to what extent she could accept intimacy.The matter between Tobias and her was temporarily beyond his control. He had been mistaken. Who she liked or loved in the past had nothing to do with him. He should care about who she liked or belonged to in the present and future. He didn't believe he couldn't win her over.Eli had a point: men and women were alike; who didn't like good-looking people?"Your body is so tough," Charlotte complained."Those are muscles.""I
Griffith didn't sleep on the sofa; instead, he spread a blanket beside the bed and slept beside Charlotte, which she found amusing. Lying on the bed, she chatted with Griffith. Despite feeling tired, he preferred bantering with her and managed to stay alert, listening to her nonsense.Charlotte turned, leaned on the bed, and looked down at him."What if I accidentally step on you tonight?""It would be on purpose," he said."Tsk, anything's possible in the middle of the night because of confusion."Griffith opened his eyes. "So, anything I also do tonight can be blamed on confusion?"Charlotte was speechless.She bit her lip, leaned down, and said, "I didn't say that.""You implied it," he said with a faint smile."Anyway, I won't compensate if I step on you," she replied.He snorted lightly.Charlotte settled in and suddenly remembered."You haven't bought me a dress yet."Without much thought, Griffith handed her his phone. Charlotte happily took it, lay on her side faci
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