Wilson and Mandy came into the house, and they paused when they saw Clara waiting in the living room.Wilson frowned. "Why are you still up?"Clara managed a smile. "I was waiting for you. The day hasn't ended yet. It's only eleven o'clock, and there's still an hour until midnight."Wilson's gaze had darkened with evident displeasure. Then, he turned to Mandy and said, "Go to your room."Mandy answered obediently and returned to her room. She no longer regarded Clara as a threat. Besides, Clara was going back to Solaria tomorrow.Wilson tugged his tie as he came over to Clara. "There's only one hour left. What else do you want?""I'll cook some supper for you. I was planning to make you dinner tonight, but you came home late, so let's have supper instead," Clara explained. "Wait in the dining room. It'll be ready soon." She dashed into the kitchen after that, busy with cooking the meal.Although reluctant, Wilson pursed his lips and waited in the dining room. When he saw her c
"Wilson just won't." Clara shook her head. "He can reverse the hypnotize at any time. He set the secret phrase himself, and only he knows it. But he's not willing, and—""And what?""And he promised me he would never reverse the hypnosis," Clara said. Serenity was shocked. "What do you mean he promised you? Is this your choice?""Yes, but not entirely," Clara answered. "He never thought of reverse hypnosis, but I brought it up when I signed the divorce papers. I told him I hoped he'd never reverse hypnosis, and he readily agreed." Clara remembered how Wilson had agreed without hesitating, and the pensive sadness on Clara's face tore at Serenity. Reluctantly, Serenity pursed her lips, sighing at Clara and Wilson's relationship. They obviously loved each other deeply, so why should they miss out on each other? "Life is never perfect. Maybe Wilson and I are not destined for each other, but I'll get over it. I'll live a good life and raise my kids well. My life isn't just about
"I just want him to be happy," Serenity said.Although they were once childhood friends who had shared hardships, she was just a passerby in Lucas's life. She wondered if Coco might be the one for Lucas.That night, after the children had gone to bed, Serenity went to the study.Jackson was in the middle of a video conference, so Serenity quietly sat on the sofa as she watched him work. She was used to Jackson being busy. Even when he was at home, he had to go through documents and hold video conferences with executives from overseas branches. As the CEO of such a large corporation, he had a heavy burden. Despite Jackson’s busy schedule, he would always make an effort to spend time with Serenity and the children. Sometimes, Serenity would wake up in the middle of the night to find him still working even though he had been asleep beside her earlier.He would assure her that he would go back to bed soon after finishing up a few things.At those times, she would feel frustrated that s
What Serenity needed to do for now was to enrich her professional knowledge in the law field over the next few years.After ending the video conference, Jackson walked over to Serenity. "Why were you shaking your head earlier? Are you having a headache?""No, I was just thinking about something," Serenity answered.He sat next to her and gently placed his hand on her belly.Serenity was five months along, and her belly was getting noticeable."How's the baby today?" he asked."Quite healthy. It moved a few times.” As her pregnancy progressed, the baby’s movements were more obvious."I’ll go with you to the pregnancy check-up tomorrow," Jackson offered."But didn't you say you have an important meeting tomorrow?""Mhm, it ended just now.” Serenity then realized that Jackson had rescheduled his meeting. He always tried his best to accompany her to every check-up."You should rest more. I can ask someone else to go with me," Serenity said."But I don't want to miss any of your check-up
"Why are people being so respectful to me?" Coco asked in confusion."It has something to do with Lucas," Minnie replied. "The people who saved you were from the Gomez Group, so everyone thinks you have powerful connections. Naturally, they’ll respect you now.” Coco was speechless. She was seen as someone with special connections now. "By the way, how are things between you and Lucas?" Minnie asked curiously."Not much of a difference." Coco was still pretending to be Lucas’s girlfriend. The only difference was that she used to do it out of sympathy. Since she knew the suffering of being hurt by love, she wanted to help him move on to repay his kindness.If it weren't for Lucas, she might be severely injured. "Actually, why don’t you date Lucas for real?” Minnie whispered. "You know, many people wished that they were in your place now. Don't you think it's a bit of a waste to play pretend with him?"Coco chuckled. "Do you think that someone prestigious like him would date just anyo
Loke had a pained expression as he realized that the woman who once loved him no longer had feelings for him anymore. “Are… are you serious about Lucas?” Loke asked.“Yes. I’m in a relationship with him, and I hope that you’ll mind your own business,” Coco replied without hesitation.“How much do you know about him?” Loke retorted. Coco’s mind flashed back to the gathering. The way Lucas interacted with his friends and their behavior toward the women who adored them was different from average people. She couldn’t relate to them at all. “I’ll get to know him myself. I don’t need to learn about him through someone else,” Coco said and turned around to her apartment building.“Do you think that he truly loves you?” Loke blocked her way and asked. “Why not?” “The one he truly loves is Serenity!" Loke exclaimed. "Serenity is married to Jackson, the CEO of the Valor Group. Lucas once pursued her madly. Since then, he hasn't dated any other women. There are plenty of socialites and actre
It was normal for everyone at the gathering to have looked suspiciously at Coco. Their relationship was fake from the beginning, and she was just pretending to be Lucas’s girlfriend. Lucas had been clear to her when they started dating, so even if he publicly declared his love for her, he wasn’t considered to be lying. Coco was aware of their difference, and she hadn’t fantasized about him. She knew that she would lead a normal life once everything with Lucas was over. For now, whatever she did for Lucas was only to repay his gratitude for sending his men to save her at the film set. Just then, Lucas called her, and she quickly answered the call."Are you free tomorrow evening?" Lucas asked."Yes.”"How about joining me for a banquet?" he said.Coco was surprised. "A banquet? Is it a formal one?""Mhm, somewhat formal.” "But… I don’t have an evening gown,” Coco said sheepishly. She hardly ever had any occasion to wear gowns, and she didn’t want to embarrass Lucas by wearing her
“Yes,” Coco replied.“Mr. Gomez has given us instructions. Please follow me," the stylist said.Coco followed her to the fitting area. It was a large area with exquisite evening gowns on both sides. However, the stylist led Coco further inside. The gowns there were even more extravagant, adorned with pearls and gemstones.“Mr. Gomez said you could choose anything that suits your style, he’ll pay for it,” the stylist said.Coco was taken aback. "Is he buying or renting it?”The stylist smiled and said, "These gowns are not available for rent. They are bought once selected."Coco hesitated. "Please wait a minute."The stylist nodded, and Coco walked aside to call Lucas. "What’s wrong?" Lucas asked. "I'm at the styling salon looking at the gowns, but the stylist said that the gowns are not for rent. I’m only going to wear the gown for a few hours at the banquet, so buying one would be a waste of money,” Coco said softly."It won't cost much. Pick anything you like. I’ll come to pick y
“……” 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