Grayson, Catherine, and Aria looked at each other at a loss.Catherine wanted to curse, but Grayson stopped her. "Enough. That man may be an ex-convict too! There are all kinds of people in jail. Who knows what he was in jail for."Catherine paused for a moment before saying uneasily, "Are we going to leave this matter alone?"After a moment of hesitation, Grayson said, "We'll see. If Heiden does pursue Aria on this, we'll think of something." Grayson did not have the guts to go back in and challenge that man again.Aria stood beside them, deep in thought the whole time. She wondered if the man earlier was really an ex-convict. She had been unable to see his face clearly as his bangs were covering his eyes. Even so, she could tell that he was charming.For some reason, she found that Jackson's figure looked inexplicably familiar. It was as if she had seen him somewhere before. Could he be someone from the entertainment industry?***Meanwhile, Serenity looked at Jackson, who was
When Serenity had been in prison, she had been all alone. Lisa had visited her from time to time, encouraged her, and worked hard for her affairs. Otherwise, she might not have gotten out of prison alive. It was Lisa who had supported her during those three difficult years.'Lifesaver?' Thoughts flickered in Jackson's eyes. Lisa seemed to hold an unusual place in Serenity's heart. "But isn't it ridiculous to regard someone as a lifesaver? If your lifesaver abandons you one day, wouldn't that give you more despair?""She won't," Serenity spoke with unparalleled certainty and absolute trust in her eyes.Somehow, Jackson had an uncomfortable feeling because of Serenity's confidence. It seemed as though he did not want someone else to be worthy of her trust. It was as if she could give everything to that other person.***Soon, Serenity had an increase in workload. As the higher authorities were coming to inspect the Sanitation Office over the next few days, some overtime was required
"A phone like this is already pretty good!" Jackson interrupted her and looked down as if he was genuinely focused on choosing a phone.Just then, a voice rang out, "Serenity, is that you?"Serenity looked up to see Janice coming toward her with another woman by her side. It was clear that the two were out shopping.As the two drew closer, Serenity realized that the other woman was actually her high school classmate, Amanda."What a coincidence! Is this your boyfriend?" Janice asked, her eyes scanning over Jackson from head to toe, sizing him up.Before Serenity could answer, Amanda said, "Come now, Janice, don't make such assumptions! I heard from someone that Serenity's boyfriend is a wealthy heir. Look at how this man is dressed. He doesn't seem to be the mentioned boyfriend now, does he?"The man was dressed in cheap clothes, so how could he be the rumored boyfriend?Amanda even raised a brow after she was done speaking, and an obvious hint of disdain and mockery flashed acr
It felt like a vivid and painful slap in Amanda's face.She was so furious that she turned around and quickly left the place in embarrassment with Janice following close behind.Serenity felt like she had just watched a drama unfold before her eyes. As soon as they exited the mall, they had witnessed someone smashing a car, which turned out to be Amanda's."What happened? Did she offend someone and that was their revenge?" Serenity wondered."Who knows?" Jackson replied, his eyes flickering slightly as he pursed his lips. "Anyway, it's none of our business," Serenity said as she grabbed Jackson's arm and headed toward the bus stop.Suddenly, Jackson stopped abruptly. Serenity turned to look at him only to find that he had turned pale, and there was a shocked look on his face.He was also staring unblinkingly at the bus stop."What's wrong?" Serenity asked."It's... nothing," Jackson replied as his expression gradually returned to normal.That had been a mistake, right? He th
"I'm staying with you. The mattress is right next to the bed. If you turn your head, you can see me," Serenity said in response."Will you stay with me?" Jackson whispered, not even realizing that a hint of longing had seeped into his eyes.Serenity bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before she nodded. "Okay," she said before dragging the bedding from the mattress and laying down beside him.Even she was surprised that she had agreed to share a bed with a man. Perhaps it was because in that moment, he had looked like a fragile porcelain doll, and it looked like a gentle touch could shatter him, which gave her a strong urge to protect him.She turned off the light from where she lay in bed, and Jackson held her hand the entire time."Jack, if you still feel any discomfort, just let me know, okay?""Okay," Jackson replied.Was it because of the medicine? He actually felt much better right now compared to the previous times he had stomach cramps.Or maybe... it was because o
Serenity couldn't help but tense when she heard those names. The mention of them itself was enough to give her the feeling of falling into a nightmare!Naturally, she also knew about the six-carat diamond ring. After all, she had seen it in the news. Even if she tried to avoid seeing anything related to them, she would always come across something when she opened her phone and browsed the internet.Back then, when she and Zeke had browsed through a jewelry store, she had also seen that pink diamond in its raw form. At that time, he had told her, "Serenity, if you like it, I'll buy it and make it into our wedding rings when we get married."But in the end, Zeke wasn't hers, and even that diamond ring didn't belong to her."Serenity, um... are you heading back now?" A clear and slightly shy male voice drifted into Serenity's ears from nearby.She looked up to see a man in his early thirties with short hair standing nearby. He was wearing the sanitation worker's uniform, and his face
Serenity could feel her heart pounding heavily in her chest.Goodness, what had gotten into her?!She blushed and quickly withdrew her hand."Okay, let's... eat before it gets cold."With that, she concentrated on her food and started eating voraciously.Jackson smiled faintly as he watched her face almost disappear into her bowl of soup, and the amusement in his eyes seemed to deepen."Then, do you like me, Sis?""Yes, I do," Serenity replied without hesitation."I like you very much too," Jackson said, his lips curling up into a smile. It seemed like it had been a long time since someone had captured his interest like this.***After the City Council inspection ended, Janice said to Serenity, "Serenity, our high school classmates are planning a class reunion this weekend. You should come too."A class reunion?Serenity laughed inwardly. Given her current situation, attending a class reunion would only invite more ridicule. "No, I have something else on that day, so I
Jenny's face was filled with disbelief. Jackson... wanted to see Serenity?As a member of the Hall family, Jenny naturally understood that Jackson might not have been particularly interested in her sister. Choosing her sister as his fiancee was simply because she was suitable to become the mistress of the Valor family.At Mira's funeral, Jackson had only had indifference on his face, as if the life of Jenny's sister was insignificant to him. Sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder what could actually stir the man's emotions...And now, she saw it.There were lines of faint anger on his beautiful face, something she had never witnessed before.And it was because of... Serenity?! The woman who was as insignificant as an ant?!She turned to look at Zeke and saw the same disbelief reflected in his eyes. Connor, who was standing beside Jackson, quickly responded, "Understood, Mr. Valor."Was Jackson angry?Connor shivered slightly at the thought. Anyone who had witnessed Jackson
“……” Morgan suddenly found himself unable to retort. She... wasn't wrong. “But when you play house, you can pretend to be parents with one person today and another person tomorrow. Real marriage is different; you can’t choose someone else.”Renee widened her eyes, listening intently.“The only person you can choose is me. Do you understand, Renee?” he continued.She nodded vigorously. “I understand!”“Do you really?” Morgan asked, a little skeptical. He was already fifteen, so he could grasp the concept of marriage, but she was only eight. Could she truly comprehend it?“So, in the future, I can only marry Morgan and be your bride, right? I can't be someone else's bride, right?” she asked. “I don’t want to marry other boys anyway. I like you the most, Morgan. Of course I’ll only be your bride!” she happily declared, her worries fading away.So she could be Morgan's bride when she grew up! That's great!After finishing another piece of snack, Renee thought of something. She put o
Despite her unease, she couldn’t resist when she saw the sweet desserts. She indulged herself.However, as she ate, her eyes remained fixed on Morgan, clearly still waiting for him to clarify Lucy’s claims.“You want to know if you’re a child bride, right?” Morgan began.Renee nodded.“Do you know what a child bride is?” he asked.She blinked. She had a vague idea, but not enough for her to articulate it.“To put it simply, a child bride is a girl raised by a boy's family. The girl will marry the boy when she comes of age. In the old days, some families were too poor to raise their daughters, so they would sell their daughters to become child brides for richer families,” Morgan explained.Renee blinked. “But my parents aren’t poor, and I'm raised by them, not by other people. That means I’m not a child bride, right?”“Correct, you are not,” Morgan affirmed.She breathed a sigh of relief, and a bright smile spread across her face. “I knew it! My parents would never sell me! The
"Morgan!" Renee turned to Morgan, unease etched on her face."The Moon family, eh? I'll remember this," Morgan replied calmly, then lowered his head to meet Renee's anxious and confused face. "Let's go, Renee. I’ll tell you what you want to know later."He led her away holding her hand.Benson looked worried. "Miss Lucy, how could you say that?""It's the truth!" Lucy shook off her fear and spoke defiantly. "Daddy and Mommy said she’s a child bride. A child bride is a girl sold by her own parents!""But the White family is not like that. Those things only happened to daughters of poor families in the old days," Benson explained. "You really shouldn’t have said that, Miss Lucy. You shouldn’t do that again.""Why do I have to listen to you?" Lucy retorted, displeased.Benson was too ashamed to tell Lucy in front of others that the Moon family simply couldn’t afford to offend Morgan. Dealing with the White family was already a headache, and Morgan's background was even more formi
Benson and Lucy were also dumbfounded. Benson started getting anxious. He felt like things were starting to unfold in ways that he did not expect."Mr. Grimes, I..." Benson stepped forward, intending to speak to Mr. Grimes.However, Mr. Grimes moved past Benson without so much as a glance at him. He went up to Morgan and said, "Master Morgan, I apologize for the oversight!"Everyone was stunned to hear that, including the security guards who had been called over. They were secretly relieved they hadn't forcibly removed anyone yet. If they had offended someone Mr. Grimes was showing so much respect to, it would have been really bad for them!Morgan regarded Mr. Grimes with an unreadable expression. He calmly recounted the situation to Mr. Grimes.After hearing about what happened, Mr. Grimes responded, "This set of stamps was not pre-ordered. If you like it, please take it. Feel free to take anything else in the exhibition that catches your eye."This declaration shocked every
"Who are you?!" Benson exclaimed, astonished. The mysterious figure remained silent, simply looking at Morgan.Morgan calmly reiterated to Benson, "I said, wait for Mr. Grimes." He then pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "I'm Morgan Wood. Please have Mr. Grimes from Lazy Cat Culture come to the Sleepy Cat Exhibition in Solaria. He should be in the area, right?"After ending the call, the person on the other end stared at the phone in disbelief.The Sleepy Cat Exhibition? What's going on?Benson, Lucy, and the staff stared at Morgan in shock, but the look in their eyes quickly turned to ridicule."Ah, a young man's naive bravado – how impudent!" Benson scoffed."Sir, please don't cause trouble," the staff member warned. "Or I'll have to call security."Morgan simply lowered his head to say to Renee, "Looks like we'll be here for a while. If you're bored, I can ask someone to walk around with you."Renee shook her head. "Morgan, what if this stamp set has really been p
Benson's words were not only meant to exert pressure on the staff, but also to inform him that they were on the same side.As expected, when the staff heard what he said, there was an instant change in his expression. He turned to Morgan and Renee and said, "I'm sorry, but it turns out this stamp set has already been pre-ordered by this customer."Morgan saw through the so-called pre-order as nothing more than an act. "When I asked you to wrap it up earlier, I didn’t hear you mention it was pre-ordered.""We forgot to mention that. Our apologies," the staff replied.Lucy, wearing a smug expression, raised her chin at Renee, causing Renee to puff out her cheeks in frustration.Benson calmly observed Morgan and Renee. The White family's White Maple Group had numerous overlapping businesses with the Moon Group. They were often competing with each other. Originally, the White Maple Group’s business activities weren't concentrated in Solaria, so even though there was competition wi
But before Morgan had even finished speaking, a girl's voice piped up, "I want this stamp set!"He turned to the voice and, upon seeing who it was, narrowed his eyes slightly. It was Lucy Moon, the girl Renee mentioned earlier. At the sight of Lucy, Renee immediately reacted like an angry little kitten. "Lucy Moon, why do you always try to take my stuff away?""Your stuff? How is this your stuff? You haven't paid yet!" Lucy shot back, her eyes fixed on Morgan.Morgan was well-known in their class, admired by many girls who claimed he was even more handsome than movie stars. If only Lucy had a big brother like that! She would be the envy of all the girls in class... no, all the girls in school!Unfortunately, her own big brother was not as good-looking.Last time, Lucy had tried to give Renee Sleepy Cat toys, asking for Morgan's email address in return. However, Renee accepted gifts from everyone but her, which infuriated Lucy."But if you want, I can give this stamp set to Re
Unlike many wealthy kids, Renee was quite restrained with her spending. She had never spent recklessly and often saved leftover money. Of course, when she wanted something beyond her budget, she would act cute and ask her Daddy or Morgan to buy it for her.Lisa was the least susceptible to her charms, so Renee didn’t dare to bother her!When they arrived at the exhibition, Renee’s eyes sparkled with excitement. There were so many adorable Sleepy Cat merchandise! They're all so cute! She wanted a lot of them, but realizing her limited budget, she knew she needed a sponsor! The best one was right beside her: Morgan!"Morgan," she said, flashing him a super bright smile.Seeing her like this, Morgan immediately knew she wanted to ask him for something. "What is it? Do you want me to buy you Sleepy Cat merchandise?""You’re so smart, Morgan! No wonder so many girls in our class like you and asked me for your phone number!" Renee praised him.As soon as she mentioned it, Morgan'
"Okay," Renee replied obediently, snuggling up to Morgan and acting cute. "Take me to the exhibition, Morgan! I know you’re the best. You’ll definitely take me, right?"Morgan pursed his lips. At 15, he was no longer a little boy. Although Renee was only 8, she was his destined wife.He had been protecting her since the day she was born. At first, he thought that he would only marry her because according to the family prophecy, she was the one most suitable for him. Over the years, however, he realized that his feelings for her ran deeper than he had initially thought.He found himself wanting to help her fulfill her wishes, and would clean up the mess when she caused trouble. Things had become different from what he had expected, but he welcomed them. He felt grateful that she was the one who was destined for him!With her by his side for the rest of his life, he would never feel lonely."Will you get into fights again?" Morgan asked."No more fighting, I promise!" Renee quickly