"What's the matter?" Lucas asked when he noticed Coco's sudden serious expression."It's Clara," Coco replied while nudging her phone closer to Lucas so that they could both watch the news report.The news report showed Clara surrounded by reporters in a hall. They bombarded her with questions, mainly focusing on "divorce" and "health status."In response to the questions, Clara responded, "We're not getting a divorce. Our marriage is strong and stable. As for why my husband attended the banquet the other day with Mandy Monroe, it's because she's his caregiver. I wasn't feeling well that day, so she went with him on my behalf. I didn't expect it to cause so much drama.""Does that mean Mr. Birch is indeed sick?""The reason my husband requires a caregiver is because he selflessly donated his liver to me for the second time. Without him, I probably wouldn't be alive right now. His health is recovering well, or the hospital wouldn't have let him discharge. We hired a professional ca
"Yes. We've crossed paths a few times," Lucas replied. "Wilson used to really love Clara.""Used to?" Coco was taken aback. "Does that mean he doesn't love her anymore?""I'm not sure, but after Wilson donated his liver to Clara for the second time, he left Solaria and returned to Latveria. I'm not aware of the exact circumstances, but if Wilson still loved Clara, he wouldn't have left," Lucas explained.If it were him, he would never be able to leave his beloved under those circumstances.Although Coco had only met Clara once, she held a favorable opinion of her. "I hope Clara can have a happy and fulfilling marriage. She already has two children with her husband... and her husband donated liver to her twice. An ordinary person might not be willing to do something like that for their partner.""If she didn't have a second child, Wilson wouldn't have needed to donate his liver to her again. Clara nearly died on the operating table giving birth to their second child. Does that make
"Fate will surely let you meet someone who loves you deeply too," she said, her voice filled with tenderness and emotion.His body trembled, his eyelashes fluttered, and it took him a moment to lift his gaze. He saw her delicate and lovely face, emanating a sense of warmth and intimacy.Her expression was sincere, her big round eyes showing genuine concern and... her strong feelings for him."Do you love me?" he softly asked."I do," she honestly replied without any hesitation."How much do you love me?""I don't know how to measure that, but I want to be with you, and I'm willing to try my hardest to make that happen!""What if I never fall in love with you?""In that case, I won't force you. I will only regret that I couldn't make you love me," Coco replied gently. "Until then, I will love you with all my heart, until the day my love becomes a burden for you. At that point, I will carefully take back my love and stop bothering you."He stared at her blankly. He felt as if so
"Your mother organized it, Mr. Birch," his subordinate replied.Wilson abruptly stood up and ordered, "Prepare the car. I'm going back to the family mansion!"Thirty minutes later, Wilson arrived at the Birch family mansion and confronted his mother."Why did you organize that press conference?" Wilson questioned his mother."It's the fastest way to solve our problems," his mother explained."I specifically told you that I've severed all ties with her. Why did you have to involve her in our problems?" Wilson asked with clenched teeth."Believe me, I want nothing more than for you to cut all ties with her. However, under the current circumstances, certain words are only believable if they came from her mouth!" his mother explained. "Besides, I've made it clear to her. She only said those things to dispel the rumors. Your divorce will just be delayed, not canceled. She'll never be my daughter-in-law for real."Wilson furrowed his brow. "So you're just using her as a tool?""Of co
"I only said those things at the press conference to quickly quell the rumors and speculation. The Birch Group suffered significant losses because of declining stock prices due to those rumors. The clarification is more believable when it comes from me rather than from Wilson or the Birch Group," Clara explained.Serenity asked with concern, "Then what’s happening between you and Wilson?""We'll pretend to be a loving couple in public for a while. Once the situation calms down, we'll find an excuse to announce our divorce," Clara said with a smile. "Don't worry about me – whether it's acting as a loving couple with Wilson or divorcing him, I'm doing this of my own free will. No one's forcing me."Serenity asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"Clara's expression softened. "I love him, so I don't want the Birch Group, which he has worked so hard to build up, to suffer any further losses. For that, I'm willing to pretend to be a loving couple with him. It's also because I love h
"My leg's... cramping up! It hurts!" Serenity exclaimed. As her pregnancy progressed, she started experiencing leg cramps more and more often, especially when she tried to turn her body while lying down.Jackson immediately crouched down and lifted the hem of her sleeping gown to inspect her leg. "Is it your left leg or right leg?" he asked."My right leg," Serenity answered.He massaged her right calf with his slender fingers, applying just the right amount of pressure to relieve her pain."Do you feel better now?" he asked in a gentle tone."Mm, a little better," she replied.He continued to massage her gently while Serenity watched him silently. She felt like she could watch him forever!When Clara returned to the convenience store, she was surprised to find a black Maybach parked outside the store. She stopped in her tracks, and her heart sank. She had a bad feeling about this.As expected, when she went into the store, her mother informed her, "Wilson is here. He's insi
His lips tightened, unhappy with her nonchalant attitude. "What kind of excuse do you think I should use?" he asked coldly."You can say that I can't get used to the lifestyle of the rich and insist on a divorce, or that I desire to be more than just being a housewife in a wealthy family and want to explore other opportunities, or that our values don't align, or you can even say that... I only married you so that you would donate your liver to me, and now that I've achieved that goal, I want to divorce you."With each suggestion, his expression grew darker. Each excuse she proposed placed the blame for the divorce squarely on herself."You want to divorce me so badly that you would even damage your own reputation to do it?" Wilson questioned unhappily.Clara was taken aback. "If I take the blame, wouldn't it minimize the loss to the Birch family and to you?"It would indeed minimize his losses, but hearing those words from her did not make him happy at all!He stood up, appro
After saying that, he walked out without looking back, leaving Clara alone by herself in the living room.Tomorrow... she would be moving in with Wilson? Would this be... their final moments together? A bitter smile appeared on Clara's lips.Coco found herself stealing glances at Lucas' lips whenever they were together. Right now, she was working overtime in the studio on the weekend, sketching storyboards by herself, while he sat on the couch nearby, flipping through the comic books she had placed there.As she drew, her eyes involuntarily darted towards him. If it weren't for the urgency of meeting the deadline, she would probably have picked up a pen and sketched him instead!Even though he was merely sitting there, reading a comic book in silence, he looked like a work of art. His face possessed elegant contours. He had sharp eyebrows, captivating eyes, and a perfectly straight nose that looked particularly attractive from the side. But what captured her attention the most
“……” 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