Clara sat there silently, contemplating her best course of action. Wilson had found out that she's pregnant. She wondered what would happen next.Suddenly, a soft voice said, "That's your husband, right? He looks like he genuinely cares about you. My husband never worries about my morning sickness. You're such a lucky woman."Lucky? Clara forced a bitter smile. If this woman knew about her past, she wouldn't think so.When Clara and Wilson left the hospital, Wilson suggested finding a nearby place to have a serious talk.Clara hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed. Given the circumstances, a conversation was necessary."Let's go somewhere nearby. I don't want to walk that far," Clara said.Wilson thus took her to a restaurant next to the hospital and reserved a private room for themselves. He ordered some snacks for her. "You threw up for a long time, so your stomach must be empty. You should eat something. The doctor said that if your morning sickness during early pre
"I know that I've done you wrong!" Wilson growled hoarsely. "Clara, I know I've made a lot of mistakes in the past, and I understand that I can never fully atone for them. But believe me when I say that I'll definitely treat you well from now on and do everything in my power to make you happy."Clara responded with a faint smile, tinged with a hint of detachment. The man who was once so important to her had now become insignificant."Yanny and I managed to survive and make it to where we are today without your help," she stated calmly, "So why would I need you to take care of us now?"Her words were like a douse of cold water, making him turn cold all over."Wilson, can't we just pretend you never found out about my pregnancy?" Clara asked. "Between us, we've already made enough mistakes. If we keep getting tangled up, we'll only cause each other more misery."Wilson stared at her wordlessly. Although she was right there in front of him, he felt like they were moving further and f
Clara didn't immediately answer."If you have a problem, don't hesitate to tell me. I'm here to help in any way I can," Serenity assured her.Unconsciously, Clara's hand moved to her belly."Clara... are you pregnant?" Serenity asked, deciding to be straightforward.Clara's body shook, but she quickly regained her composure. "Yes," she answered.Perhaps telling Serenity the truth wouldn't be so bad. At least now she could confide in Serenity and discuss with her. Keeping the secret had taken a toll on her in recent days. She couldn't share it with her mother or Yanny. In front of her closest family, she had to maintain the facade that everything was fine."What are you going to do now?" Serenity asked."I haven't made up my mind yet," Clara admitted. "The baby is Wilson's, but I don't want to get involved with him anymore. If I choose to keep the baby, it'll only complicate matters between us."Serenity pursed her lips. "Clara, if you really wanted to keep the baby, I'll take
But when she spoke those words, tears fell down from her eyes, and her heart sank into a bottomless abyss.The following day, Clara arrived at the hospital and openly expressed her intention to undergo a medical abortion."Have you discussed this with your partner? Considering your age, it may be difficult to conceive again after an abortion," the doctor advised. He could still remember her partner who asked him a lot of questions about morning sickness."He's not my partner. Regardless, the decision to have this baby or not is mine to make. Don't women have the right to reproductive choices?" Clara responded firmly.Noting Clara's determination, the doctor proceeded to write a prescription.Clara walked to the hospital pharmacy with heavy steps and patiently waited in line.After the consumption of these pills, she would bid farewell to the life growing inside her.Although she had contemplated keeping the baby, she ultimately didn't dare to. She feared how her relationship wit
She frantically attempted to retrieve the discarded medicine, but he wouldn't let go of her wrist. He forcefully dragged her away."Let me go! Where are you taking me?" She fought against his grip.He simply bent down and, disregarding the surrounding onlookers, lifted her up in his arms, then proceeded towards the hospital's main entrance."Put me down!" Clara's face flushed with embarrassment.Wilson ignored her. He carried Clara out of the hospital. A sleek black car was waiting outside. The driver stepped out to open the car door for Wilson.A security guard, noticing Clara's resistance, approached them. "Hold up, sir. What is your relationship with this woman? She seems unwilling to get into the car with you.""She's the mother of my child!" Wilson responded coldly. "If you're worried, memorize my license plate number and call the cops!"With that, Wilson put Clara down in the car and joined her inside. The driver promptly returned to the driver's seat and drove away.The
Serenity, with a concerned tone, immediately asked, "Wilson Birch? What's going on? Where's Clara? What have you done to her?""Serenity, I... I'm fine," Clara quickly assured her."Clara, he didn't hurt you, did he?" Serenity asked anxiously."He..." Clara hesitated a little, "He probably won't hurt me. My mom's watching over the convenience store right now, but I'll head back soon. If you go there, please don't tell my mom that I'm with Wilson."The latter part of Clara's statement made Wilson's expression darken."Okay, you heard everything," Wilson addressed Serenity. "Serenity Lewis, don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong. If you do, even if you're Mrs. Valor now, I'm not gonna hold back."After hanging up, Wilson turned to Clara and said, "Looks like your friend genuinely cares about you."Clara bit her lip and, after a moment, she asked, "Wilson, what exactly do you want?"He stared at her with a heavy gaze but remained silent.Meanwhile, Serenity was still starin
After all, she didn't feel comfortable discussing Clara's problem in front of outsiders. Jackson thus instructed his subordinates, "That's it for now. Submit a plan to rectify the situation by tomorrow. If you can't solve the problem, I'll hold all of you responsible."The subordinates left the room promptly, relieved to have escaped unscathed.Serenity inquired, "Is there a problem?""It's nothing major, just some complications from a previous acquisition. It should be manageable," Jackson assured her. He then asked Serenity, "What do you need my help with?""It's about Clara. I called her earlier, but Wilson Birch was the one who answered the phone. I'm worried that he might have her under control," Serenity explained. Ever since her conversation with Jackson, she had been worried that any argument between Wilson and Clara could lead to him locking her up."So you haven't been able to reach Clara?" Jackson asked."Not exactly. Clara did eventually answer and said she's fine,
She then anxiously asked, "Has Connor found where Clara is?" Her worried tone and expression revealed her deep concern for Clara.Jackson replied helplessly, "Any moment now."True to his words, Connor entered the office a while later to provide an update on Clara's location.Serenity finally learned that Wilson had taken Clara away from the hospital, and that... Clara was at the hospital for a medical abortion."Clara wanted to terminate the pregnancy?" Serenity was shocked."It appears so," Connor answered."Where's Clara now?" Serenity urgently asked."Wilson Birch took Ms. Wells to his mansion in Solaria," Connor replied.Serenity turned to Jackson, and he understood her thoughts without her saying a word."Let's go get Clara back. You won't be able to relax if we don't, right?" Jackson suggested."You're the best, Jack," Serenity said.Jackson's eyes lit up because of a simple praise like that. Clearly, he enjoyed her flattery.On the other hand, Connor was used to it
“……” 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