"I like you, Coco. I really do. I don't know when I can turn these feelings into love, but it's you, so anything is possible!"The melodious voice echoed in the room and struck her."Coco, are you really giving up on me?"A knot formed in Coco's throat. She just could not say no at that moment.Until Lucas left, Coco still did not give him an answer. She was still obviously shaken from Lucas' words earlier.Coco carefully took a sip of the ginger tea. She glanced at her almost empty cup and realized the tea had actually eased her stomach cramps.It was Coco's first time falling so deeply in love. She loved Lucas so much. Her feelings for Lucas were much stronger than her infatuation with Loke in university. How could she not be swayed? The man of her dreams had said he liked her. The man she loved asked if she was really giving up on him. Coco's mind replayed what Lucas had told Jackson in the hospital. Not wanting another unseemly breakup because of Serenity, Coco suppressed t
Coco and Minnie walked into the store, and immediately, a salesgirl came over to greet them, asking what they wanted to buy.Coco politely explained that she was just looking around, and the salesgirl did not say anything else. Instead, the salesgirl kept following Coco and Minnie around with an impatient look."Ms. Stone, welcome! We've got a lot of new stocks. Would you like to take a look?" The salesgirl heard her colleague enthusiastically greeting another customer, and it quickly darkened her mood.The salesgirl's income relied heavily on commission. Coco and Minnie were obviously the kind of customers who could not afford to buy anything here. Her colleague was lucky to be serving a big customer like Ms. Stone. If she bought something, it would contribute so much more to their commission for the month!The salesgirl stared at Coco and Minnie with total contempt. Furious, she wished the penniless customers would hurry up and leave. "Yeah, let's have a look." A familiar voice
Layla behaved like a spoiled, arrogant princess."Look, I can buy everything you've wanted but can't afford. You'll never be able to get what you want!" Layla declared, glaring at Coco."Layla, are you that proud of being rich?!" Minnie was furious. Suddenly, Coco spoke again."I wanted more than that, actually. There's this," Coco challenged, pointing to a gown in the display not far away."I'm interested in it, but it's too expensive. I haven't tried it on either. Can you afford something like this?"Layla frowned, staring at the displayed gown. It was the luxury brand's limited edition gown which came with a high price tag. The gown was selling at 1 million dollars.1 million dollars for just a gown?! Even if Layla and her family were wealthy, they could not afford to splurge their fortune on a gown like this.That was also why the salesgirl did not bring the gown to Layla either.The atmosphere shifted, and a short, awkward silence immediately blanketed the room.A short
"I'm fine, Minnie. Don't worry about me," Coco sighed."Besides, Lucas and I broke up for other reasons. I just didn't think I could make him fall in love with me.""You always like to say that, blaming yourself for everything." Minnie was heartbroken for her friend. "If I were you, I would've given Lucas a good beating!""Well, my relationship with Lucas is over. It doesn't matter anymore." Coco was glad she was not pregnant. Maybe they were simply not fated to be together."Yes. We're done with him!" Minnie encouraged, "Come, I'll make sure you look the best tomorrow. You'll find someone better soon!"Coco smiled, knowing her friend was trying to cheer her up. "Let's go! I'm counting on you to make me look pretty tomorrow."-The next day, Coco wore the new dress she had bought the day before to the party. She was planning to put on a little makeup herself, but Minnie got her friend to help instead. Minnie's friend was a professional make-up artist. She gave Coco a complet
The cast and crew were honored by Lucas' attendance. The director and producer immediately rushed to him, greeting him with enthusiasm."Mr. Gomez, welcome! I thought you weren't coming," Stella, the producer, greeted him warmly. The cast and crew assumed Mr. Gomez would not attend the wrap party. They had sent him an invitation, but Mr. Gomez had not responded. It was a pleasant surprise that he had come. It showed that the TV series was important to him. Perhaps it might even help with the publicity and distribution of the TV series.Some of the lead actors, particularly the ladies, were actively trying to get close to Lucas. The women he laid eyes on would always have a bright future in showbiz.Lucas paid no attention to the crowd's enthusiasm. He raised his head, his gaze sweeping around the room as if looking for something. His gaze finally found Coco, and he suddenly stopped."Oh, my God! Prince Lucas is looking our way!" Agnes exclaimed in surprise.The rest of the peopl
The night was beautiful, but she could feel something weighing on her chest, making her feel down. What was wrong with her?! Her chest felt tight, almost as though she was suffocating. Coco was determined to make a clean break with Lucas. Lucas had done the right thing by not greeting her at the party. People would think nothing was going on between them thanks to his actions. Still, the way he had ignored her stung like crazy.Coco, you're such an emotional little prick! She thought to herself self-mockingly.Just then, a voice rang in her ear. "Coco."Coco turned around, only to see Loke standing behind her. She had no idea how long he had been here.Coco furrowed her brow slightly. She was about to turn to leave, but Loke grabbed her wrist. "Wait.""What are you doing, Loke?" Coco struggled, wanting to break free from his grip.Loke tightened his grip on Coco's arm, not letting her go. "Coco, I know I don't deserve you at all. Even so, I hope for the best for you. Are you
Disgusted by him? Loke listened, pain crossing his face."Maybe missing out on something is just normal in life. Just like you and me.""When you hurt me, I used to fantasize you would apologize to me one day, telling me how much you regretted it. I fantasized about how you would promise not to hurt me, and that you loved me. I even thought I could forgive you if you really said that to me.""And you... " The pain on his face was replaced by even more urgency.There was a pause as Coco continued her story. Her voice was calm, but that just made it worse for Loke."But then, remember how everyone at school committed all sorts of violence against me? You stood by and watched coldly as they mistreated me. Gradually, I stopped fantasizing about the impossible, and the feelings I had for you faded to nothing."How calm she had been, describing her own journey to Loke. She had already gotten past the heartbreak and confusion from her miserable past. Coco began to wonder if time would
"Hey, Loke! Over here!" Layla turned her head to Loke, greeting him. "I'd like to raise a toast with Coco. I thought we could resolve our past conflicts, but she refused just because you were interested in me back then," Layla said to Loke in a complaining tone."Layla, what the hell are you up to?" Loke glared at her."I just want to clear things up between us. We're all university friends, after all!" Layla said, pretending to look troubled. "Is Coco still in love with you? Maybe that's why she won't reconcile with me."Everyone around them was listening, curious to hear the gossip."You—" Layla's words made Loke even more embarrassed. "That's enough!""How can you do that? I really want to make up with Coco!" Layla protested."I'll tell you a secret, Coco. Loke is still in love with you. He even told me he wanted to be with you. You both didn't get together because of me, so why don't you take this chance to begin a new relationship? You both like each other anyway, don't 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