"So, you essentially wanted me to pursue you?" he asked.He had planned to pursue her, so her actions seemed unnecessary.Charlotte sat down to eat dumplings and said, "No."Griffith's brow furrowed as he peered down at her."I want to make it clear; this isn't merely a lovers' quarrel. It's a divorce," she asserted, looking up at him and repeating, "Divorce, do you understand?"I don't know why you treated me the way you did these past three years, and I also don't understand why you suddenly started to like me recently. I'm glad that Katie's matter has been resolved, and it's good that you didn't cheat on me during our marriage. But it's not enough to save our marriage or give us a reason to remarry. What do you think?""Get to the point," Griffith said."I can't tell if this is just a whim of yours," Charlotte replied.Griffith gazed at her intently. "Charlotte.""What?""You're blind."Charlotte took a bite of a dumpling and mused, "My vision is pretty good, but forgive
"You know about how I transferred money to Tobias?""You didn't just transfer it; you used my card," he said, sneering.Charlotte's grip on the fork tightened. "I paid it back later."Was repayment even the core issue here? His anger boiled within him."Refusing the marriage..." Charlotte mused over those two words. As she recalled the past, a trace of pain flickered in her eyes, and she bowed her head. "Indeed, I refused."Griffith felt a lump in his throat."That's because I was super sick at the time..."Griffith was left dumbfounded.Charlotte met his gaze, her lips twitching. "Weren't you smitten with me at first sight? Why didn't you investigate my reason for declining the marriage back then?"Of course, he had investigated. In his initial inquiry, he had discovered Tobias. The photographs depicted a perfect match.Having lost everything since childhood, he had never truly possessed anything. Then, he finally desired someone, only to discover that that person was alread
Charlotte picked up the plate and stood up, showing no intention of accommodating him."Where are you staying tonight? It's inconvenient for me to accommodate you since I'm living alone now," she said.Griffith was slightly displeased. He gazed at her and retorted, "Do you have any idea how long it takes to return to the city from here?"He had rushed over since getting off the plane, yet she intended to send him away right after discussing business."I have no idea, I'm not returning to the city anyway," she said calmly.She had no need to concern herself with him.Setting the plate down, she turned to face him and added, "Of course, as I mentioned before, Mr. Griffith, if you insist on staying, I have no choice. You can stay in the house, and I'll go stay in the yard."Griffith was speechless."Ash hasn't arrived yet," he added."So what?""I only brought two people with me when I got off the plane."Charlotte thought for a moment. On her way back, she hadn't noticed anyon
"You're staying across from my house?!" she exclaimed."Is that a crime? Ash arranged it randomly; it just happened to be across from your house." He was clearly making excuses.Charlotte gritted her teeth, feeling so annoyed that she contemplated asking him to return the meal box.Griffith quickly hung up the phone, clutching the precious meal box. The villa might not be perfect, but he couldn't be bothered by that now. He switched on the lights, washed his hands, and settled onto the sofa.As he opened the meal box, the aroma of meatballs wafted toward him. He took a bite.It was too salty.His eyebrows furrowed, but he continued eating.A dozen meatballs were not enough to satisfy his hunger.He devoured them in one go but had no desire to eat anything else, despite the stocked refrigerator.He leaned back on the sofa, taking a deep breath.His gaze drifted towards the window, and the lights in the small yard across remained on.Upon his arrival, he had noticed that this
Just as they were about to have lunch after visiting the exhibition hall, a representative from D&Z Automotive arrived, requesting that the professor and the study tour group join a meeting at the company's office. They needed to hear the Head of the Asina-Pacific region's input regarding the upcoming car show.Charlotte and her fellow students were surprised that the professor had included them in this meeting.Seated in a spacious conference room, Charlotte couldn't help but steal glances at the towering buildings outside. This study tour felt like a dream.She swiveled in her chair, filled with excitement.Finally, the door swung open, and everyone rose to their feet. Charlotte, seated in the back row, also stood up. Even on tiptoes, she couldn't catch a glimpse of the Head. She only heard a magnetic voice saying, "Please take your seats."Her heart skipped a beat as the voice sounded strangely familiar.Sliding out of her seat, she craned her neck in the direction of the Head
Surrounded by a crowd, Charlotte couldn't help but be concerned about leaving Julie alone. She decided to accompany her and find Ash first.Upon reaching the restaurant, the VIP area was relatively empty. A table by the window was occupied by Griffith and Ash, who were sitting across from each other, accompanied by two executives. Charlotte hesitated to join Griffith for lunch, considering she was attending Professor Camon's classes. However, Julie had already guided her to sit next to Griffith without much consideration.As soon as she took her seat, Charlotte felt numerous eyes on her. Ash introduced her to the two executives. Before he could speak further, he exchanged a glance with Griffith. Charlotte discreetly cleared her throat and glanced at Ash as well.Ash raised an eyebrow and proceeded to introduce Charlotte to the two executives, saying, "Gentlemen, this is Ms. Scott, a good friend of Mr. Wilson."Charlotte sat up straight, offering a polite smile to the executives, wh
Charlotte blushed and set down her phone. She blinked and glanced around, assuring herself that no one was watching. She let out a sigh of relief, realizing that no one was actually paying attention to her phone.After a moment of thought, she replied.Charlotte: [Right.]Without waiting for a response, she put away her phone. After leaving school, she returned to her residence early to review the checklist sent by Professor Camon to filter the questions.At 7:10 PM, there was commotion outside.She opened the window and saw that Griffith had returned.Taking the printed documents, she slipped into her slippers and rushed outside. The fragrance of flowers filled the air, and the moon hung high. She pushed open the fence to exit the small yard. Griffith was holding his suit as he stepped out of the car. He seemed to have had some drinks, and as the wind blew, Charlotte caught a whiff of alcohol.He looked at her, dressed in cozy sleepwear, holding a pen and paper, waiting for him
"What's your favorite fruit?" he suddenly said.Charlotte began counting on her fingers, ready to list her favorite fruits for him. Then, she remembered that she was supposed to be surveying him."Don't distract me.""Oh.""Do you prefer sunny or cloudy weather?" she continued."Sunny," he answered but couldn't help but ask, "What kind of survey is this? The questions are all over the place.""It's a comprehensive survey. It judges your personality based on your preferences and then analyzes your artistic preferences," she explained.Griffith shook his head.She considered taking out a few songs and asking him to choose the one he liked best."Countryside or city?""City.""Retro or modern?""Modern.""Living in a community or being solitary?""Does a married couple count as living in a community?"Charlotte looked at him, then said, "Never mind, let's skip this question."She lowered her head and moved on to the next question directly."Do you like men or women?"Gri
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