Charlotte had been in a deep slumber, and as she finally opened her eyes, the room enveloped her in utter darkness. She reached for her phone and saw that it was already 10 PM. Recollecting the day's events, they felt surreal, like a dream.Dressed in her pajamas, she descended the stairs, and to her surprise, the entire house was bathed in warm light. There were no servants in sight, but a bustling activity emanated from the small kitchen downstairs. She tiptoed closer, inching towards the kitchen door.Inside, a man sporting a black shirt, sleeves casually rolled up, held a phone to his ear with one hand while expertly stirring something in a pot with a ladle in the other."Yeah, handle it on your end. I'll take Li'l Harry over in a few days." He concluded his call, rinsed his hands at the tap, and gathered ingredients for another pot, apparently gearing up to fry something.Charlotte, attempting to surprise him, raised her hands playfully, but just as she did, the man by the sin
The air hung heavy for a brief moment.To ease the tension, Charlotte let out a chuckle. "Looks appetizing, doesn't it? You shouldn't criticize others when you're only familiar with cooking instant noodles.""I only know how to cook instant noodles?" William sneered."What? Do you know how to cook anything else?"William shot her a sidelong glance before directing his gaze at Griffith. He scoffed, "Go outside and don't touch this unidentified concoction. Dinner will be ready in half an hour."Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Oh, our young master is taking charge.""Shut up and go sit outside.""Alright." Charlotte complied, placing her utensils and bowl down.She turned on her heels, patted Griffith's shoulder, and quipped, "Enjoy your meal, and don't bother saving any for me."Griffith inwardly cursed her for her lack of consideration, remarking, "Who said I saved any for you? I didn't even make your portion.""Tsk," Charlotte clicked her tongue, crossed her hands behind her ba
The table fell into silence once more. Charlotte didn't immediately respond; William's words had been quite harsh. She stole a glance at Griffith's expression, finding his usual stoic demeanor remained unruffled.Attempting to break the awkwardness, she asked, "Have you finished your meal?""Yeah," Griffith replied."Then why don't you go upstairs and check on Li'l Harry? He's probably awake by now," Charlotte suggested, extending half of the fruit platter toward him. "Take this with you."Quick on the draw, William promptly moved the portion she had handed to Griffith back into the original plate, stating, "Eat your share. Why bother about him? It's none of your business."Charlotte scratched her forehead. Griffith had initially wanted to observe her reaction, but surprisingly, she stopped talking to him after William's outburst. She focused on eating her meal, seemingly unperturbed.He felt a surge of anger. Well, William's status was special, and he didn't want to argue with h
"No, thanks," Charlotte politely declined the invitation.Li'l Harry nodded, tugging on Griffith's pants. "Lady's a girl. Girls don't sit in a tub with boys?""Correct."Charlotte glanced over to see Griffith searching for something in the wardrobe."Harry wants a big towel," Li'l Harry stage whispered to Griffith."Uncle is looking for it."With wet hair, Li'l Harry hugged Griffith's thigh, patiently waiting for him.Not wanting them to waste any more time, Charlotte said, "He's got a Snoopy towel in his room, the one the housekeeper bought."Griffith acknowledged and prepared to leave.Observing the water on the floor, Charlotte sighed. "Don't move. I'll get it."She put down her phone and left the room.As soon as the door closed, Li'l Harry looked up at Griffith. "Uncle wants a bath with Lady?"Griffith opened his mouth and responded seriously as he looked down at the little boy, "No."Li'l Harry stared at him.Griffith attempted to maintain his composure, feeling a b
Charlotte couldn't help but grit her teeth as she shot an annoyed glare at Griffith. How childish!Griffith smirked and shot her a mischievous glance, letting out a light hum in response.Meanwhile, Li'l Harry was blissfully unaware of their silent exchange as he continued splashing water at Griffith, taunting Charlotte, "Dummy lady."Charlotte snorted and joined them in the water, taking a seat across from the two of them. "Teaming up on me, huh?"Li'l Harry lifted his small face and accused her, "Lady's a meanie first!""Since when was I mean?" she asked. "Lady made Harry eat a yucky leaf!""It was spinach; you're just a picky eater. Be a good boy!"Li'l Harry blinked and turned to Griffith, complaining, "Lady told Harry very scary stories."Griffith shifted his gaze to Charlotte.Charlotte defended herself. "He wouldn't sleep, so I had to use some special means."Griffith then turned to Li'l Harry. "Why wasn't Harry sleeping?"Li'l Harry looked around and confessed, "Ha
"I did not!""Did! Did! Did! Many times!"Charlotte was on the verge of losing her temper. Unable to argue with the little rascal, she turned to explain to Griffith, "I didn't look!"Holding back his laughter, Griffith maintained a serious expression as he said, "If you looked, you looked. What's there to be so anxious about?"What did he mean by "if you looked, you looked"? She already said she didn't!Li'l Harry chimed in, "Liar, liar."Li'l Harry, held by Griffith, said in his ear, "Lady looked in other places, too, kept looking!"Charlotte was rendered speechless.Deciding not to wash the little troublemaker's hair, she put the towel down and walked out.As soon as she left, Li'l Harry peeked his head out and asked Griffith, "Lady's angry?""Maybe.""What should Harry do?""Later, Harry can try to cheer her up."Li'l Harry nodded, hugging Griffith's neck and rubbing his face against him, saying, "Lady is Uncle's wife.""Then Uncle will go and talk to her for Harry." G
Charlotte lay on the other side of the bed in the bedroom, wearing a mysterious expression. Despite finding the little troublemaker annoying, she also felt a sense of pity. She decided to play along and indulge his dreams for now.Griffith was seated next to her, reading a story to Li'l Harry.Li'l Harry eventually grew tired of listening and decided to teach Griffith about Ultraman characters."Taro, Tiga, Mebius..."He recited their names and pointed to one for Griffith to identify, asking, "Who's this?"Griffith replied, "...Gaia."Li'l Harry looked at him with disbelief.Charlotte couldn't resist teasing, "That's Tiga!"Li'l Harry turned to her with an even more incredulous expression. "No. Dyna."Charlotte touched her nose. "...Oh."She eventually glanced at Griffith and sensed it was time to coax the little troublemaker to sleep.Li'l Harry was clearly excited and reluctant to sleep. He tossed and turned until eleven o'clock, when he finally began to close his eyelids,
Charlotte couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when he had gotten so close.But once she realized it, their scents had already become intertwined, an indistinct blend of her rose and his mint. The air conditioning had made the room cool, yet her heart raced, creating warmth within her.With their eyes locked, they leaned in closer, just above Li'l Harry's face. It was an exhilarating sensation. She noticed his gaze slowly sweeping from her lips, carrying an unspoken suggestion. From their first meeting until now, this was the closest they had ever been.Her tongue instinctively moistened her lips.Griffith felt like he had suddenly awakened a unique ability. His vision seemed to slow down as he absorbed every detail.Charlotte raised her eyes, and it felt like emotions were overflowing from them.Lying on her side, her arm began to feel uncomfortable from propping herself up for too long. She adjusted her posture slightly, inching a bit closer to him. Griffith instinctively moved b
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