His voice was such a low, seductive purr she could barely resist! "I understand…" Coco stammered, her face red. On the very same night, she finally realized how men could be quite petty sometimes!-Jacqueline was happy with the good news. Jackson had told her that he had found the boy she was looking for and that he had even arranged to meet the boy and his parents. While getting ready in the morning, she even picked out her favorite white dress and paired it with pink shoes and a hair clip on her hair. "When you see Morris, don't scare him," Serenity warned her daughter, who looked adorable in her white dress and pink accessories. The little girl was passionate about the piano and extremely talented at it. However, she was overenthusiastic whenever she met another kid who played well. Even so, it was rare to find a kid her age who could play well, at least to her standards. There were multiple times when Jackie met other kids who were good at the piano, and she would approach t
Jacqueline listened and promised her mother, "Mommy, I'm not going to be a bully. If Morris doesn't want to, I'll find another way to convince him to play for me.” Serenity could not help but laugh. Jacqueline seemed so confident as if she had a few ideas up her sleeve.When they came to the agreed place to meet, Serenity finally met the boy for the first time. The boy looked a little shorter than Jackie, and his shirt and shoes were so worn it was practically rags. The couple standing next to the boy must be the child's parents. Judging from the way they were dressed, they looked like a family living at the bottom of society.Serenity was perplexed by the situation. Was this really the boy Jacqueline was looking for?Learning piano was expensive. The most basic piano lesson would cost between $40 to $60. Jacqueline said he played the piano very well, which meant he must have been learning for quite some time.Could a poor family afford long-term piano lessons? Or could they have
Standing beside Morris, Marrisa said to her son again, "Morris! Jacqueline wants to hear you play the piano, so play it for her!" What a good chance to show off his piano playing!Morris got even more flustered. He had overheard his parents' conversation at home. If Jacqueline liked his piano playing, this would be a chance for his family to rewrite their fate. His parents had high hopes for this.Part of him was still afraid. He had secretly learned to play the piano, and he only knew a few songs. What if he played horribly? What if Jacqueline hated it? What should he do then?Jacqueline frowned slightly, thinking of a way to resolve this. She had promised not to be a bully, but she really wanted Morris to play the piano for her. It seemed he was unwilling, so she offered, "How about this? I'll play a song for you, and you play one for me?"Morris blinked in surprise, obviously not expecting such an offer. He was suddenly curious about the kind of music she would play."Please?"
Jacqueline had a straightforward personality, especially when it came to stuff related to the piano. She would ramble on without holding back.“Your transition here isn’t very smooth, and you slowed down here…” Jacqueline pointed out. Then, she played a few notes to show Morris his mistake. Morris listened carefully. No one had ever pointed out his errors so clearly before.“You’ll get it with some practice. You’ll play Chasse-neige perfectly if you keep practicing. Shall we try another piece?” Jacqueline asked. She continued playing another piece and looked at Morris with a smile, encouraging him to continue.Morris hesitated for a moment before starting to play a different piece.And so, they took turns playing one piece after another. Serenity, who was listening, noticed that Morris had a talent for piano. However, each piece he played had similar issues because of his inexperience. "Seems like Jacqueline is very interested in playing the piano with him,” Serenity said t
Jacqueline was getting more excited as she spoke. Morris stood there in a daze. He was happy to learn that he could take piano lessons with Jacqueline, but he had heard from his classmates that it cost a lot of money. It was unfortunate that his family couldn't afford it.He had mentioned to his parents that he wanted to learn piano, but they immediately refused and said they didn't have the money for it."I... my family can't afford piano lessons," he said while feeling ashamed, almost as if he was exposing a bad part of himself to her. At his age, he was already aware of the different social classes, and he knew that poor people were often looked down upon.Many of his classmates looked down on him because his family was poor."Will you be able to take classes if I give you the money?" Jacqueline asked. Money was never an issue for her.Hearing this, Morris's parents quickly said, "No way. How could we take your money for nothing, Jacqueline?" However, their expressions
Serenity could tell that the Yale family was poor. She was worried that Morris might feel out of place in the environment where Jacqueline was learning piano."Of course, I'll stand by him and not let anyone bully him," Jacqueline said."Then, you must help him mingle around, understand?" Serenity gently stroked her daughter's hair. "You have to realize that you're bringing him into a different world."Serenity sighed inwardly as Jacqueline somewhat understood what she was trying to tell her. She wondered if this arrangement would be a blessing or a curse for Morris.Meanwhile, Morris's parents were nagging him."Now that Jacqueline has taken a liking to you, you must work hard. Since she wants you to learn more pieces, you need to be diligent. You must please her and make her happy. Our family's future depends on Jacqueline! Got it?"Morris hesitated and replied softly, “Mhm.”He would make Jacqueline happy even if his parents hadn’t said so. He wanted to see her smile as it
"Morris is my friend, but Fred, you are very important to me!" Jacqueline answered.Frederick felt warm and fuzzy when he heard that. “So, are you saying that I’m more important than Morris?” He asked. Jacqueline nodded. Although she liked Morris’s piano playing and considered him a friend, Frederick was irreplaceable to her.Frederick's expression softened as he murmured, "Jacqueline, you are the most important person to me.” To Jacqueline, Frederick might only be “very important” because her world was filled with many significant people like her parents and siblings. But to Frederick, Jacqueline was his most important person, and he would do anything to protect her. In the master bedroom, Serenity was having a discussion with Jackson."I think Morris is a good kid, but his parents—" "Are suck-ups," Jackson interjected."I saw through their intentions. It’s understandable, though. Since Jacqueline likes Morris’s piano playing, by using their son, they could get some favo
"No way," Jackson said and leaned in closer to Serenity. "You still look very young in my eyes.""You always know how to make me happy," Serenity murmured. "In a few years, I'll have wrinkles and white hair.” "I'll grow old with you at the same time," Jackson said and pecked her cheek. "Serenity, growing old with you is my greatest joy. Thank you for not giving up on me and bringing our children to find me back then."Serenity wrapped her arms around Jackson's neck. "Should I thank you for falling in love with me again even after you were hypnotized?""Yeah, you can thank me properly tonight." Jackson planted a kiss on her brows, nose, and finally her lips. In a husky voice, he added, "Don't even think about stopping before I’m satisfied."Even though they had been married for years, Serenity still couldn't resist Jackson.He was always so attractive in her eyes. A word or a glance from him could make her heart skip a beat.Soon, she responded passionately to his kiss. Gr
“……” 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