Charlotte quickly lowered her head, using the pack of ice to shield her swollen face and wobbled back to the lounge. The pack of ice relieved her face, but the pain still lingered. She did not want to overdo the icing, fearing it might become too cold and worsen the swelling.After a while, she decided to consume some anti-inflammatory pills. She put on a face mask, went to the kitchen to grab the pills, and headed back up. Griffith was coming down the stairs with his phone, and they passed each other without a word.Once back in her room, she took the pills and poured out the melted ice before discarding the plastic bag in the trash. Lying down, her face began to burn again. She let out a sigh, unable to sleep. Suddenly, there was a sound from the walk-in closet, then her door opened. Griffith, dressed casually, walked in holding a pink ice bag. He unceremoniously tossed it to her. She hesitated for a moment, then hugged the ice bag."Am I being harsh on you?" he asked with an unsy
Charlotte stayed at home for the next two days. She spent most of her time in her room to avoid meeting Griffth. It was not until Benjamin's birthday that her various injuries had finally improved, so she went out for a stroll.Since it was a birthday party, she could not go empty-handed. She went to the mall early in the morning. Over the past few days, she realized there was no need to clash with Griffith over money. After enduring suffering, spending some of his money should not be a big deal.She bought a bag for Ava and went to a watch store to pick a watch for Benjamin. After browsing for a while, she finally made her choice."You have good taste. Is this for your boyfriend?" the salesperson asked.Charlotte smiled and replied, "No, it's for a friend's birthday.""What kind of friend deserves a watch that costs 15,000 dollars?" A voice came from behind.Charlotte turned around and recognized the person, immediately flustered that she had to bump into him again. Simon Lewis
Griffith stopped eating and looked at Eli expressionlessly.Eli, unafraid of provoking, said, "What's the matter? I'm telling the truth. I'm not trying to ruin your marital relationship. Furthermore," he wiped his hands and casually added, "Considering the little amount of affection between you two, there's no need for me to ruin it."Griffith furrowed his brow and set down his cutleries.Eil pressed on. "Hey, has she not realized the fake divorce decree? Is she trying to be especially obedient now?"Griffith recalled Charlotte's secretive behavior and could not help but feel a bit annoyed for some reason."Eat your d*mn breakfast!" he retorted coldly.Eli seemed amused. He took a sip of tea and looked at Ash, who had been silently attending to Julia."Ash, did you see her that day? Do you think she's beautiful?" Eli asked.Ash was placing a peeled hard-boiled egg on Julia's plate. She ate the egg white and then stuffed the yolk into Ash's mouth. After swallowing the yolk, he e
Charlotte knew she was not welcome in the elite social circle. She decided to arrive early. If there were any past conflicts with Benjamin's family, she could leave before the rest of the guests arrived.On the way up the mountain, Benjamin asked for the license plate number. And as soon as she arrived at the entrance of Regal Estate, someone came out to greet her and quietly led her inside."The Young Master said he wants to introduce you to Madam, but he didn't inform you beforehand, so he arranged a private room in advance. He'll explain everything when you arrive," the housekeeper said.Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief and thought Benjamin was considerate. The housekeeper led her to a room on the second floor. Upon entering, Benjamin was by the window, reading a music sheet."Happy birthday," Charlotte said.Benjamin saw her and instinctively tried to stand up, but his legs would not move. Frustration welled up, but he managed to respond to her."Thank you.""I hope you l
After leaving the private room, Charlotte went to the restroom to freshen up. The swelling on her face managed to reduce today, but after shedding a few tears, her eyes were red again. She left the restroom after feeling better. A housekeeper reminded her that the banquet had started and she should head over.She glanced around, making sure she did not know anyone, then followed along. The banquet hall was not huge, but it was luxurious. In the center of the hall stood a grand piano. With nobody watching, she tested it out. The sound was so good that she longed to own one herself.As she reluctantly stood up, someone entered the hall. She considered moving to the side, but when she glanced over, she unexpectedly spotted Griffith. Griffith had also seen her but was surrounded by a crowd and could not escape.After a while, he managed to corner her at the corner of the hall."Didn't you say you're not coming?" he said coldly. "You were so adamant about it, yet you decided to follow m
Eli's mouth twitched slightly. At the same time, he felt panic on Griffith's behalf. He did not doubt Benjamin's words. After all, the kid tried to kill himself when he got serious. He tried to dissuade Benjamin but to no avail."Uncle Griffith might not be blood-related to you, but he's been pretty good to you. He's been through a lot, losing his mother when he was young.""I don't have a mother either," Benjamin replied.Eli realized Benjamin had made up his mind."The relationship between them doesn't seem good," Benjamin added."Well, they…""Help me steal her from him," Benjamin said. "Uncle Eli, I don't want anyone but her. As long as she's by my side, I'll live well. Otherwise, you can just arrange for my funeral."Eli was rendered speechless.…At the banquet, Charlotte eventually realized Benjamin was Eli's nephew through the conversations in the background. In this case, she and Griffith were attending the same birthday party.However, she could not figure out why B
"You want her to be Benjamin's practice partner?" Griffith asked.Bridget nodded while looking at Charlotte.Charlotte was puzzled. Wasn't piano practice a solitary activity?Griffith did not respond immediately. So, Benjamin spoke up, "Uncle Griffith, is that not okay?"Meanwhile, Eli desperately signaled to Griffith.'Don't agree! That brat wants to make a move on you!' Eli exclaimed inwardly.Griffith ignored him and glanced at Charlotte, saying, "Well, she usually doesn't have much to do."Charlotte was about to voice out, but Griffith hinted at her not to."Well, that's great then. With a family member around, I can rest assured and return to Portchester City for a while," Bridget said while holding Charlotte's hand.Griffith took a sip of champagne and snorted. Just as he turned and looked at Eli, he sensed something was amiss."What's wrong with your eyes?"Feeling complicated, Eli was about to speak when he noticed Benjamin staring at him.He forced a smile and said
The room of people were Griffith's close associates or friends who were fully aware of the state of their marriage. So, no one found it unusual when Griffith responded in an indifferent tone.Nicholas called out to Charlotte, "Have a seat. We're all family here."She gave him a grateful smile and made her way over to where Griffith was sitting. Just as she settled in, there was a knock on the private room door. No one paid attention, assuming it was a waiter bringing drinks. A young woman went to open the door."Gosh!" she exclaimed.All eyes shifted to the door, and the atmosphere in the private room tensed up. Charlotte's heart skipped a beat as she looked and realized Simon Lewis had walked in. She was pondering if he had come to cause trouble for Griffith, then she noticed the lady's handbag in his hand.She felt a shiver run down her spine. Simon walked in casually, seemingly unfazed by Griffith's icy glare. He placed the handbag on the table."I heard you're here, so I thou
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