The journey from Austral to Pueve City covered a distance of over 900 kilometers. Even when taking the highway, it would still occupy the entire day.Griffith had planned a two-day, one-night trip, with the intention of arriving in Pueve City by the afternoon of the following day. Austral had fewer people, resulting in lighter traffic on the highway.Once they hit the highway, Charlotte's excitement soared, and she urged Griffith to accelerate, encouraging him to pick up the pace.Griffith readily obliged, saying, "Hold on tight.""Go!"In response to her command, the car surged forward like an arrow, allowing them to immerse themselves in the boundless world, experiencing the thrill of speed.As the car gradually picked up speed, the sensation of the ground slipping away beneath them became more pronounced, causing their heartbeats to quicken as if on an adrenaline rush.Suddenly, another car pulled up from the side, seemingly eager for a race, challenging them to a competition
After they had set up their tent, night began to fall. The two of them decided to cook inside their makeshift room and get ready for some stargazing. They prepared a simple meal of Austran-style grilled sausages and meat stew.Charlotte ran out to visit the neighbors, and when she came back, she proudly showed something to Griffith. It was a mini harmonica."This was given to me by the kid next door," she said, chin raised in pride."Beautiful people always get special treatment," Griffith remarked.Charlotte found his words rather flattering. She moved closer to him, leaned in, and whispered, "You certainly have a way with words."Griffith looked at her.She smirked. "Within a short time, you learned to speak both human language and nonsense. I'm a bit scared."Griffith fell silent."Hey, can you play it?" she asked.She was half behind him and reached forward, holding out the tiny harmonica for him."Yes," he replied."Huh?" Charlotte was pleasantly surprised and handed hi
"Never mind, haste makes waste." Charlotte dismissed his comment.With a smirk, she added, "And from the way you talk, it seems like you've had it too easy. Things that come too easily are usually not worth it."Griffith fell silent."Come on, stop boasting and get on with the story," Charlotte urged.Taking a sip of cold water, Griffith considered where to begin.Charlotte prompted him, "Tell me, how did you earn your first million?""Earned it alongside Jude," he replied."The stepfather?" Charlotte clarified.Griffith said, "The godfather...""I know, I know."He didn't bother to correct her and nodded.Charlotte furrowed her brows. "So, what kind of business were you both in?"Griffith raised his hand, mimicking handling a gun with his index and ring fingers. He gently shook his wrist, reenacting a shooting motion.Bang.Charlotte's eyes widened. "You started with this?!""It's a quick way to make money," Griffith explained.Charlotte took a deep breath, her disbeli
"With Jude leading the way, business in Novamerica quickly took off, and we set up factories, expanding our operations. In Eropia, a few friends and I identified emerging industries and invested in them. We even ventured into the stock market, participating in a few financial battles where insider information led to immense profits."Inside their small tent, Charlotte, munching on her candy, couldn't help but feel like she was inside a typical male protagonist's power fantasy novel. Her eyes darted rapidly, absorbing the knowledge being shared.Griffith found her fascination amusing and teased, "I've given you the roadmap to wealth. When do you plan on getting rich?"Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Forget it. Where am I supposed to find pocket money of five or six million?"This capitalistic society seemed designed for the rich to get richer."Later, after you had money and returned to Mainland, did you kick your dad out?" she asked, studying him closely."He was still wealthier than
Charlotte was aware that the older generation of the Wilsons had tumultuous relationships, but the specifics eluded her. Mariah served as Stephen's secretary; that much she knew.After their lengthy conversation, her curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn't resist delving further. "What kind of person is Freddie's mother?""She's lost her sanity; there's no point discussing her.""And your father... What's he like?"In Charlotte's perception, Stephen was an enigmatic figure. With numerous children, one might expect a man inclined to revelry, yet paradoxically, he had achieved success in his career, maintaining a favorable public image.Griffith remained silent for a moment before responding, "A lunatic."Charlotte was puzzled."He married my mother for power. However, before that, he had once forsaken everything for a woman."This revelation surprised Charlotte."Your father?""Yes." Griffith lowered his head, toying with the cigarette box, his eyes revealing complex
Which man could tolerate being called 'not up to par'? If it weren't for the inconvenient setting, Griffith would have pulled her aside to clarify whether he met her expectations or not.Charlotte was well aware that this conversation was teetering on the edge of risky, so she made a swift exit. They had access to a communal bathhouse at the camping site, and she dragged Griffith along. The sight that greeted them there was so unappealing that Charlotte decided she'd rather forgo bathing altogether.Griffith remained composed, informing her that they had cleaning supplies in the car, enough to last the night. Luckily, they had spent most of the day inside the car, so they hadn't sweated much.Charlotte climbed into the car's tailgate and made a makeshift dry wash for herself, while Griffith stood outside the tent. After Griffith came in to change clothes, she sat casually next to him, munching on seeds, appraising his muscles.Initially nimble, Griffith slowed down his movements af
"You sick freak!"Griffith embraced his new title with pride, remaining unfazed. He casually stated, "I was treating my ears.""Pfft!"Griffith closed his eyes, a faint smirk on his lips.Charlotte bit her lip, saying, "I never knew you had this side to you."Griffith replied, "You should've slept with me that night before leaving. The effect might have been stronger, perhaps even enough to restore my hearing on the spot.""You wish!" She huffed, then felt an itch on her back and arms.Griffith noticed her scratching and asked, "Mosquitoes?""No."He had already driven mosquitoes out of both the tent and the car before nightfall."What's wrong, then?""Probably hives.""Let me see."Charlotte immediately dodged. "No."The more she evaded, the more Griffith suspected it might be a serious condition. Propping up his upper body, he reached out toward her, saying, "Come here.""It looks unsightly—" She pouted, muttering, "And there's no medicine anyway.""I'll take a look.
As Griffith arrived at the pharmacy, he received a call from Charlotte."Hurry back!" Her voice carried a hint of complaint, her command sounding more like scolding or as if she had endured some great injustice.Griffith thought something might have happened to her and asked earnestly, "What's wrong?""Your bodyguard is utterly useless! He scared me half to death." Charlotte was sulking. Apparently, a while ago, some animal had bumped the car's wheel, and a bodyguard, concerned that she might be frightened, had approached to inquire about the situation."He even asked if I was okay. When I saw that bodyguard’s face, I was speechless!"It was the middle of the night, and hearing her vivid description, Griffith couldn't help but relax his expression."How much longer until you come back?" she asked.Even over the phone, Griffith could sense her reluctance as she spoke."Soon."On the other end, she huffed but didn't hang up the phone. The pharmacy wasn't far away, and Griffith d
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