"Memories will eventually fade, even if it might take years. Jacqueline is just a child. If we introduce her to more new friends, she’ll naturally start to forget about Morris," Jackson said.Would it really be that easy? Serenity was doubtful."Some people will remain in one’s heart forever," Serenity said."Do you really think someone like Morris will remain in Jacqueline's heart forever?" Jackson questioned skeptically. "He’s just a child who plays the piano well. In time, Jacqueline will meet other talented musicians, some who will play the piano even better than Morris. Even if she never forgets Morris, she'll stop being sad."Serenity remained unconvinced. However, only time would tell.Two days later, Serenity and Jackson took the two children to the musical play. Serenity had initially wanted to bring their eldest son along as well. However, Micah had expressed outright disinterest, citing an online group discussion he needed to attend."A group discussion?" Serenity wa
Of course, a lot of eyes were drawn to her husband too. Once they were seated, Serenity asked Jackson in a whisper, "Do you notice that a lot of people are looking at you?""I don’t. All I care about is you looking at me," Jackson replied with a smile, his charming eyes making Serenity's heart race.Even after years of marriage, she still found herself captivated by his charm."Oh, stop. The play is about to start," Serenity said, blushing.Jackson smiled and said, "Okay."The musical soon began. Jacqueline watched intently, eager to remember every detail to share with Morris one day.Fred stole occasional glances at Jacqueline. He had gone to musicals with her before, but this was the first time he saw her watching a musical so seriously. And it was all because of Morris.A bitter feeling tugged at his heart.When the musical ended and the lights came back on, many of the audience rose to leave the theater, but Jacqueline remained seated. Instead of standing up, she closed h
"I feel like someone's watching me," Jacqueline muttered.Serenity chuckled. "Of course someone's watching you! Lots of people were looking your way when you were telling the story."Jacqueline blushed. "Was it bad?""No, it was wonderful!" Serenity assured her. "When Morris hears it, he’ll definitely be thrilled!"Feeling uplifted, Jacqueline smiled again.They got into the waiting car, which slowly drove away from the theater.The young beggar cautiously emerged from behind the old beggar, watching the departing car with a cold expression that a boy his age shouldn't have.Later that night, unable to sleep, Jacqueline made a video call to Fred."Can’t sleep?" he asked through the screen.Jacqueline nodded, explaining, "Every time I close my eyes, I think about the musical and about Morris."After returning home, she had even written notes on the play's content so that she wouldn't miss anything when she shared it with Morris one day."What do you want to talk about?" Fred
"Anything is fine," Jacqueline said. She just wanted to hear Fred play the piano.Fred began with a familiar tune: "Für Elise", a piece that Jacqueline loved.Jacqueline listened quietly. Despite the distance, and although she was hearing it through the phone, she was still immersed in the sound of the piano. This was Fred’s piano.When the piece ended, Jacqueline suddenly asked, "Fred, do you think there will come a day when I also can't hear you play the piano anymore?"Fred was taken aback. "Why do you ask that?""I'm just afraid that one day, you might disappear, like Morris did," she said. Then, realizing how it sounded, she quickly added, "I... I'm not saying you'll go missing. I... I just..."After a brief pause, she continued, "I'm scared that unexpected things might happen. What if we argue? What if you ignore me? What if...""Those things won't happen!" Fred interrupted."But—""Jackie, I'm not Morris," he said firmly. "I won't get into a fight with you. If anythin
"Why are you still up?" Fred deflected."If my son isn’t asleep, how can I rest?" Weston replied. "How are your fingers? Are they sore?"Fred had completely stopped playing the piano lately, so now that he suddenly played it again for three straight hours, his fingers must be sore.Fred shrugged. "It’s fine."His father knew him well; even if his fingers hurt, he wouldn’t admit it."Sometimes, being too accommodating can be a bad thing, you know? It’s good to be kind, but if you’re too generous without setting boundaries, people might take that kindness for granted. They might not appreciate it like they should," Weston advised.Even though Fred was only ten years old, he was mature beyond his years because he had been through a lot."My kindness to her is something she deserves!" he insisted. "Without Jackie, I wouldn’t be who I am today. When other people beat me and yelled at me, Jackie was the one who helped me. She’s never looked down on me."Whether he was the son of a cr
"It’s nothing serious. She should be fine in a few days," Serenity reassured them.They were relieved to hear that."Oh, by the way, I finally get to see the baby with her eyes open! Her eyes really do look like Lucas'," Lisa remarked.The baby had big, beautiful eyes. She would break a lot of hearts when she grew up.When Beatrice finally opened her eyes and Coco saw how much her eyes resembled Lucas', she was actually really happy.It would be a shame if Lucas' beautiful eyes did not get passed down to their daughter.Lucas, however, was not as happy. "If only her eyes were more like yours; that would be perfect. She would look exactly like you," Lucas said, a hint of regret in his tone.Coco brushed aside his regret.Currently, all the children were gathered around the baby, looking at her. Among them, Caden seemed the least interested. He looked at the baby briefly before shifting his attention back to Cynthia. He had been holding Cynthia's hand the whole time, never lett
If Caden continued to need Cynthia to focus only on him, conflicts were sure to arise."Aren't you worried?" Lisa asked. "This can’t go on. Cynthia is already twelve. In a couple of years, she might start dating.""I am worried, but I don't know what I can do," Serenity replied."Have you considered taking Caden to a psychologist?" Lisa suggested."We’ve tried, but Caden is very resistant, so it hasn’t been effective," Serenity explained.Hearing that, Lisa could only sigh.Coco chimed in, "Perhaps things will change in a couple of years. Sometimes, children mature seemingly overnight."Serenity nodded. "That’s true. For now, we can only guide them as best we can."The three women then shifted the conversation to Lisa's future son-in-law.While Caden spoke little due to his introverted nature, Morgan was quiet simply because he couldn't be bothered talking.Whenever he did speak, it was often with a mocking edge.For instance, when Renee saw that the baby wasn't crying, she
Morgan looked at Cynthia flatly and said, "This isn't anything difficult." To him, it was something really simple; only idiots would struggle with it."But... it’s the first time I’ve seen a boy braid someone’s hair," Cynthia admitted. There were certainly no boys like him around her."That’s because you haven’t met enough people," Morgan retorted.Cynthia was left speechless.Now that Renee’s hair was done, she rushed off to play with Jacqueline. Micah approached Morgan and asked him, "Don't you find it a hassle to braid a girl’s hair?""No," Morgan said, his tone toward Micah notably different. They had once gotten into a debate over a computer virus problem. Neither could convince the other, so they ended up playing a game of attack-and-defense with computer viruses to prove their point. In the end, there was no clear winner, but Morgan felt he had the advantage, being two years older than Micah. If they were the same age, he might have lost.After that incident, they had 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