Jackson felt a pang of agony, almost as if someone had just stabbed him in the heart."But it’s a pity that this dress got torn," Serenity said in a regretful tone. "I only got to wear it once."It really was too bad that there was such a huge gaping hole in such an exquisite dress. Even if she wanted it mended, she had no doubt that it would cost a lot of money and require a lot of specialized skills."I'll just buy you a new one," replied Jackson. "The most important thing is that you're not hurt."Serenity smiled and shook her head, telling him, "But I'm not hurt at all! I'm not as fragile as you think I am, you know."But her smile only made him feel more ill at ease. She was right. Although she might appear thin and weak, she had always been tenaciously fighting to survive. After spending a lot of time with her, he now understood more than anyone else in the world how strong she was. And yet, that was precisely why he was filled with even more guilt and regret. It was all b
"Let me hug you for a while," Jackson murmured tenderly. "The driver will be here soon."He then glanced at the woman in his arms before turning around to take a glimpse at Lucas, who was standing not far away, watching them.The two men's eyes met. Moments later, a black car slowly drove up toward Jackson and Serenity. Jackson turned his gaze away and led Serenity into the car. Serenity turned around and climbed into the car, unaware that Lucas and Aria had been standing not too far away from them all along.Aria pursed her red lips silently until the black car disappeared on the horizon. Only then did she raise her head and said, "Lu..."But just as she opened her mouth, the rest of her words never escaped her throat as she noticed the expression of the man in front of her. Lucas's face, which had always been strikingly handsome, which had always looked cold and distant, now seemed to be in a violent struggle, almost as if Lucas was trying his hardest to restrain his feelings,
Mr. Wayne's expression turned severe, but Julia still went on to whine petulantly, "This must be Serenity Lewis's doing! She's showing off her power! What a wicked woman! Just because Jackson Valor is interested in her now doesn't mean that she can put on airs like that..."But Mr. Wayne's unease only grew stronger and stronger. Perhaps this matter might not resolve quite so easily as he thought."Dad," said Julia with a pout, "since they say they're too busy right now, let's just go home."But just as soon as she had finished her sentence, Mr. Wayne's phone rang. He answered it and shortly after, all the color was drained from his face, and he broke out in cold sweat.Julia was puzzled when she saw how crestfallen her father seemed after hanging up the phone, so she asked him, "What's wrong, Dad?"As a reply, her father raised his hand and slapped her hard on the face."This is all your fault!" he yelled. "Because of you, our whole family is done for!"The tax evasion scandal c
Serenity had thought about it before. Just what sort of person could knock up Clara and force her to have his child despite not being married?Given the circumstances, the only explanation why Clara had chosen to bear his child instead of aborting it was because she loved him. “How... how did you know?” asked Serenity with surprise. Jackson gently brushed a strand of hair back over her ear. “Do you think I wouldn’t care about your workplace? Since you decided to stay with them, it’s only natural that I ran a check on the people working there.” Serenity swallowed the knot that was stuck in her throat as she stared dumbfoundedly at him. She knew he was obsessive, but not to this extent. Seeing her remain completely silent, a slight frown appeared on Jackson’s face. With a tinge of sadness in his eyes, he asked, “What, you don’t like what I’m doing? Do you think I’m spying on you?” Serenity shook her head. “No, I understand you’re just worried about my safety.” Jackson was su
Serenity nodded and fell silent. She knew Clara, being a single mother, was someone with a past. However, she never expected it would turn out to be this. A woman imprisoned by the father of her own child. Few people could bear that level of humiliation. Despite what had happened, Clara still managed to open a small restaurant while raising Yanny. “What’s the matter? Are you feeling sorry for Clara?” asked Jackson.“I feel like life has been terribly unfair to her,” murmured Serenity in response. Jackson observed the worried expression on her face. Was she worried about Clara? Or was something else bothering her mind?In the past, she only had to worry about her grandmother, Lisa. Now, it seemed that more and more people were occupying her mind. A feeling of jealousy surged in his heart. Jackson was well aware that Serenity’s worries had nothing to do with romantic love, but the feeling of jealousy still plagued him. Perhaps he cared too much about her emotions. Instead of
“Say my name, Serenity. I want you to say my name...” urged Jackson with his hoarse and seductive voice.“Jack...” In the next second, he pressed his lips against hers, and he began kissing her passionately. The sound of her calling his name was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. In fact, he wanted to treasure it for the rest of his life. ***Recently, various news outlets across the city had begun reporting on the Wayne family’s tax evasion scandal. While there was a half-hearted attempt to cover up the incident, it was now put on full display for everyone to see. All the while, the Tax Bureau had gathered sufficient evidence of their tax evasion to bring a lawsuit against the Waynes. It was reported that the Waynes had paid back a considerable sum for their taxes and fines, which led to a severe restriction in their cash flow. Due to the incident, no bank was willing to give any loans to the Waynes as well. The Waynes, who once owned a large chain of convenien
“I’m sorry to say that Mr. Gomez isn’t interested in seeing anyone today. By ‘anyone’, I think he meant you as well, Ms. Lewis. You may try calling him. If he’s willing to see you, I will let you in,” The servant said courteously. The politeness in his tone was betrayed by the contemptuous look in his eyes. While serving their family, he had come across plenty of women like Aria. Lucas had a string of ex-girlfriends who had tried desperately to get him to fall in love with them, but none were successful. It appeared that Aria had the same intention as those girls, but like them, he remained unmoved. If she couldn’t get him to fall for her, it was only a matter of time before she lost the glamor of being Lucas’ girlfriend. She gritted her teeth as she glared back at the servant. If Lucas had agreed to meet her, she wouldn’t have come to him in the first place.At the villa, Lucas was in his art studio sketching the grown-up portrait of the little girl from his memories. The mom
Serenity learned of the Wayne family’s tax evasion scandal from the news even though there were already reports in the past about the same issue. Given their financial capacity, it remained unclear whether they could recover from this incident.The Waynes had their own connections throughout the city. If they were willing to help and if Jackson refrained from pursuing the matter, there was still a chance that they could salvage their business. Whenever she asked Jackson about them, he would respond without hesitation, “Julia mistreated you, so they deserved this.” “But that’s her problem, her family has nothing to...” “Their business was already plagued with issues in the first place. What I did was merely highlight their flaws in advance. What’s more, the businessmen in this city are no fools. They were all waiting for an opportunity just like this to gain more market share in convenience stores across Shermal,” explained Jackson. Serenity more or less understood what he was