Carmen guessed she was right. "Well, I'm warning you not to do it again. If anything happens, I'm going to kick your ass."Lucas helplessly nodded as he listened to his mother's lecture. When he came back to the room, Coco looked at him curiously. "What did Mom ask you?""She told me to hold back," Lucas grumbled, leaving Coco puzzled."Because we spent half an hour in the room earlier, Mom thought my desire got the better of me, and I made you stay with me," Lucas explained.Coco finally understood what it was all about, her face turning bright red."Did you explain to Mom? About what happened?" she asked quickly."How would I have explained? That you wanted to cry?" Lucas mused, making Coco feel embarrassed. Telling Carmen the truth would only make things complicated."Whatever they think," Lucas shrugged, not caring about what others think"But… Will Mom think… I'm risking my health just for momentary pleasure?" Coco stammered while worried about leaving a bad impression o
"If not four, I want at least two kids," Coco swooned, imagining two toddlers surrounding her, calling her ‘Mommy’."You have to keep trying after this one, then," Serenity teased."By the way, did something happen to Jackie?" Coco asked, noticing that Jacqueline was acting really strange. Jacqueline was the most outgoing among the kids, constantly chattering. Her usual smile was gone, and she was exceptionally silent, merely interacting with her youngest sister and watching cartoons on the TV."She's had some problems with her friend. She's been sulking for some time," Serenity sighed."Is she mad at her friend? But she's not the kind who holds grudges. Did they get into a fight?" Coco wondered, thinking about how serious a conflict between children could be. "It's a little different this time. Adults are involved too," Serenity lowered her voice, telling Coco about Morris and his family.Coco listened, bewildered at the story. Humans would always be greedy, especially when l
"Is that so?" Jackson said with a playful smile. "I’d like to see how you handle it if Coco gives birth to a girl this time.""In any case, if it's a daughter, I'll protect her well, making sure she never faces any hardship. For her future boyfriend, I'll make sure he never dares to betray her," Lucas replied."And if it's a son?" Jackson asked."If it's a son, he'll need to be toughened up. I won’t spoil him too much," Lucas said.It was clear that he had double standards for his children."What if your son resembles Coco? Would you still not spoil him?" Jackson asked with a teasing smile.Lucas was at a loss for words. If his son looked like Coco... Well, he might need to reconsider his stance.-Morris absentmindedly watched his parents frantically pack their belongings, stuffing everything they could into suitcases."Daddy, Mommy, are we leaving?" he asked in a small voice.Everyone was happily celebrating the New Year, but a new wave of debt collectors kept showing up
Marissa resented the Valor family deeply. If they had been willing to help pay off her debts from the beginning and hadn't distanced themselves from her family, she wouldn't have been forced to borrow from loan sharks."I'll beg Jacqueline for help! She... she’ll help me!" Morris said urgently."The Valor family has clearly cut ties with us. Stop dreaming!" Marissa shouted. "Now, everyone knows the Valor family has kicked us to the curb. I told you to please Jacqueline, but what happened? You didn’t do enough to please her, and she’s upset with us because she overheard a few things!"Marissa had always blamed everyone else but never considered her own mistakes.Morris lowered his head, clutching the hem of his shirt tightly. That day, he had wanted to stop Jacqueline when she left heartbroken, but in the end, he was too scared to do so.It had been so many days, and Jacqueline still hadn’t visited him. Although his piano teacher told him he could continue his piano lessons, it wou
At this point, Marissa and Fernando could no longer sit still. They were beginning to realize what was happening. Marissa even tried to jump out of the car, but the car was locked."Stop the car! Stop the car right now!" Marissa and Fernando shouted.The driver finally responded, leisurely saying, "It’s only right to pay back what you owe. Running away like this isn't playing by the rules."Marissa and Fernando panicked since they fully understood the situation.Morris was horrified as he clutched the wooden toy house in his arms.The car came to a stop in a dark alley, and the driver turned to them. "Alright, get out."The three of them trembled as they got out of the car, only to be confronted by a group of thugs. Morris could only watch as his parents groveled before them, hoping for a chance to be spared. However, the men remained cold and indifferent.The leader of the group spoke coldly, "The only thing I care about is whether you can pay back the money. I'll let you go
Just then, Morris noticed the children's watch on his wrist. It was a gift from Frederick, worth forty thousand. Marissa had mentioned that the watch was waterproof and could even withstand atmospheric pressure.Then, he pressed a button on the watch which had a built-in phone feature with Jacqueline's number stored in it. He thought that maybe she could save his family if he asked her for help. He was hopeful that his parents were only injured and could still be saved. Marissa had said that the Valor family was the most powerful family in Solaria, and there was nothing they couldn’t do.So, Morris dialed Jacqueline's number. However, his eyes were gradually filled with despair when no one answered on the other end. When the boat docked and the people on board were waiting for the police to take Morris to the police station, he unexpectedly bolted off the boat. The dock was in a busy part of the city center, and as soon as he ran into the crowd, he disappeared.At this moment,
Morris had a hunch about his parents’ tragic end, but it wasn’t until now that he finally had the courage to ask. However, the police officers who had brought him to the hospital exchanged a glance and didn’t immediately answer him.Morris asked with an ashen face, “Are they... dead?” At his age, he already understood what death meant.The two police officers looked at him with sympathy. One of them patted his head and said, “Alright, you’re about to go into surgery. We’ll talk after you’ve recovered.”Morris was then wheeled into the cold, sterile operating room, but he already knew that he would never see his parents again. Even though he understood that his parents had many flaws—especially his mother, who was always in debt and often got cursed by her debtors—he still wanted to see his mother one more time.At that moment, tears finally welled up in Morris’s eyes and began to stream down his face.-The next day, Serenity learned from the news that Morris’s parents had be
And so, the Valor family began deploying people to search for Morris. However, it was as if Morris had vanished into thin air. Neither the Valor family nor the police could find any trace of him.Thanks to the Valor family’s involvement, the loan shark organization and the culprits who had killed Morris's parents were brought to light.However, Serenity lost hope as days went by. It seemed that Morris was unlikely to be found alive. A month later, the police issued a statement officially arresting the suspects. In the announcement, the police blurred out the victim’s full names. However, anyone familiar with the Yale family could easily figure out who they were.Soon, Jacqueline found out about everything.Serenity sighed inwardly when Jacqueline went to her with teary eyes.With the way information spreads nowadays, she knew it was unrealistic to think they could keep this from their daughter forever. She had hoped to tell Jacqueline after they found Morris, but they never did.
“……” 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