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.
"Is Jackie asleep?""Yes, only just. I think I’ll stay in her room tonight. I’m worried that she might start crying again if she wakes up in the middle of the night," Serenity said."Alright," Jackson agreed. "You should try to get some sleep too and don’t worry too much." Then, he kissed Serenity on her forehead before heading back to the master bedroom. "Wait," Serenity called out to Jackson. "Jack, if we still can’t find Morris after some time, how should we explain it to Jackie?"She was afraid that it would be even harder for Jacqueline to cope if it came to that."There are some things she’ll have to understand and learn to accept in life," Jackson replied. "Like losing someone important and death…""But—""Serenity, Jackie is our daughter. She needs to grow up and become stronger. Otherwise, how will she handle the challenges she’ll face in the future?" Jackson said, his gaze resting on their sleeping daughter. "As her father, of course, I hope that she will be happy a
In the past, Jacqueline often wanted to hug her older brother, but Caden always turned her away. However, this time, Caden quietly stood there, allowing Jacqueline to hug him, which made Serenity notice a change in Caden. Over the years, Caden had finally started to develop feelings for his family and was no longer so indifferent toward them.“By the way, your due date is coming up soon, right?” Serenity said to Coco on the other end of the phone.“Yes, in another week. We’re ready at any moment these days,” Coco replied.“Well, I wish you a smooth delivery. Let us know when the time comes.”“Yeah, sure,” Coco said.After finishing the call, Coco saw Lucas coming down the stairs. Since her due date was getting closer, Lucas had stopped going to the office three days ago and had brought all his work home. Even if there were meetings, he attended them via video conference.“Who were you talking to?” Lucas asked as he walked over to Coco.“Serenity,” Coco replied. “We were discussi
Fortunately, Morgan was her future son-in-law. Lisa was even hoping that Morgan's studious genes would somehow improve her own daughter's unruly tendencies.Even though Lucas didn’t think reading fairy tales as part of prenatal education was very effective—especially considering the negative example of Renee—he still read a few stories every day to their unborn child. He couldn’t help but imagine the scene of telling bedtime stories while holding a soft baby in his arms. Ever since Coco had gotten pregnant, he had envisioned it many times.Just then, Coco’s expression suddenly changed as she let out a sharp cry.“What’s wrong?” Lucas tensed up. “Are you hurting? Is it the leg cramps again?” As he spoke, he reached out to lift the blanket covering her legs.Coco replied with a pale face, “No... it’s not the cramps... I think... my water just broke.”Hearing this, Lucas quickly instructed, “Lie down, stay still.” He then placed a pillow under her to prevent more amniotic fluid fro
However, based on the situation now, a divorce seemed unlikely. It was clear that Prince Lucas was utterly in love with his wife!Soon, they arrived at the hospital, and Coco was taken into the delivery room where the doctors began to assess her condition.Lucas waited anxiously outside the room. It wasn’t long before Jared and Carmen arrived. Upon seeing their son, they immediately asked, "How’s Coco?""She’s still being examined. Her water broke early," Lucas replied.“Is she going to give birth soon?” Carmen asked.“Probably.”“Fortunately, she’s already 39 weeks along, so there shouldn’t be any risks for the baby,” Carmen reassured him.After receiving an oxytocin injection, Coco was quickly moved to the delivery room. Lucas changed into sterile clothing and accompanied her inside.At that moment, all Coco could feel was pain! She heard that childbirth was incredibly painful. Although she had mentally prepared herself countless times, experiencing it firsthand made her real
Coco tiredly opened her eyes and gazed at the tiny, rosy face so close to hers. Her baby was so adorable. A strange and wonderful feeling filled her heart. A little life had come into the world carrying hers and Lucas’s bloodline.With the nurse's help, Coco gently kissed her daughter's cheek. Then, the nurse showed the baby to Lucas. But after a quick glance at his daughter, he was focused on Coco’s condition again.The nurse carried the baby out to show the waiting family members before taking her for a cleaning. Coco needed to stay in the delivery room for another two hours for post-delivery observation to ensure everything was fine before she could leave.Coco felt like her body was torn apart while Lucas stayed by her side, gently tidying her disheveled hair. "I’m sorry for putting you through so much pain," he said softly.Seeing Coco endure such intense pain to bring their child into the world made him realize how lightly he had taken childbirth before. He had assumed th
"So, we went through the pain together to bring our child into the world," she said.He was slightly taken aback, finding her words a bit odd, but... "Yeah,” he replied.The couple exchanged smiles, knowing that their happiness would only grow with their daughter now.-Jared and Carmen were extremely excited. The two of them couldn't stop staring at the tiny baby in the crib. After all, Lucas had married late, and they had been worried for a long time that he might not get married at all.Finally, they had a grandchild after what seemed like an endless wait. They could label themselves as proud grandparents now.In the past, they could only feel envious when they saw their friends celebrating the arrival of their grandchildren. Though they would outwardly claim that they didn’t mind not having grandchildren, deep down, they did care. There was even a time when Carmen started avoiding gatherings with her friends because of it.Now that the little one was here, they couldn’t
“……” 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