Serenity raised her head ever so slightly to glance sideways. She then breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Jackson, asking, "Have you paid the bill?""Yeah.""Let's go, then," she said, grabbing her handbag. Then, as if trying to escape something, she hurried out of the restaurant."What's going on?" Jackson asked. "Are you hiding from someone?"She paused her steps. A peculiar look flashed across her face, and she said, "My former colleagues were in that restaurant, and I... I didn't want them to see me."As she spoke, she chuckled, almost as if mocking herself, and she added, "Isn't it ridiculous? They all know what has happened to me, and they must've guessed how far I've fallen now, yet I still can't face them and want to hide from them."She did not want to see the pity in their eyes. She did not want to see them feeling sorry for her.Back then, she had fought tooth and nail to build herself a successful career as a lawyer, yet now, while all her colleagues were sti
The red light soon turned green. Zeke was about to drive away, but his whole body suddenly froze when he realized that the man beside Serenity looked very familiar... The image of the only man in the whole of Solaria that he must never offend popped up in his mind.That man looked just like Jackson Valor!But how could it be him? How could Jackson Valor be with Serenity?! The idea itself was ridiculous!The car behind Zeke honked, urging him to move already, but at that moment, the man beside Serenity suddenly turned around and looked up in Zeke's direction. As soon as Zeke could see the man's face, he felt as if the blood in his body had frozen into ice.Jack... Jackson Valor?!Was it really Jackson Valor?! Sure, the man's clothes and hairstyle were different from what he remembered, but that face was simply identical to the man himself!Zeke drove away while his body was still stiff in shock, and he could not help but doubt if what he had just seen was real. Meanwhile, at t
Serenity furrowed her brows. Was Zeke asking about... Jack?"You should really mind your own business, Mr. Shaw. I was only with my brother yesterday. Do I need to report to you about that too?""Brother?" asked Zeke. "Since when did you have a brother?"As far as he knew, the only sibling Serenity had was a younger sister."He's a brother to me," she replied, "and that's all that matters. Do you have any problem with that?"Zeke studied Serenity's face, almost as if he was trying to determine the truth of her words from her expressions.Just then, Xyla, who had been sweeping the other side of the road, noticed what was going on and hurried over, saying, "Calm down, Mr. Shaw! Don't do anything rash! Let her go!"Xyla recognized Zeke as the man who had accompanied Jenny Hall when she came to the Sanitation Office to apologize. According to her colleagues, this man must be Serenity's ex-boyfriend."You really should let go of her, Mr. Shaw, otherwise someone might take a picture
"Quinn Fender, I don't want anyone in this workplace to be hostile to each other. Serenity Lewis certainly has been in prison before, but that is no reason for us to discriminate against her, making it difficult for her to survive. Since you don't feel comfortable working with her, I think it's best that you leave this job."But... But she was a full-time employee! How could she be fired just like that?! Quinn could hardly believe that it was real, yet she could not deny that it had just happened!She heard someone urging her, "Say something, Quinn."She looked around her, then when her gaze fell on Serenity, she rushed toward her in a burst of outrage. She reached her in one huge stride and yelled, "You! It's all your fault! If it hadn't been for you, the director would never have fired me! You're the one he's supposed to fire!"Everyone there was astounded. So the one getting fired had ended up being... Quinn Fender?!"You're not joking, are you, Quinn?""But how could it be?!"
Earlier in the morning, Serenity had told Zeke that the man was just her brother. However, he had to reconfirm it before feeling at ease.Zeke drove to the entrance of a rural residential area. He left the car, entered the neighborhood, and searched for the specific unit.After some effort, he finally stopped in front of a narrow door.'This is a typical rural house for rent. Is this where Serenity lives?' Zeke thought.Zeke heard some footsteps approaching just as he was about to knock on the door and instinctively ducked toward the shadows beside him. He hid in the dark and looked toward the sound of footsteps.A tall and lean figure soon came into his view, and as the figure got closer, Zeke's eyes grew wide. He had a speculation that occasionally popped up in his head, and he thought it was impossible, but it had ultimately turned out to be possible.'It's Jackson! It's really him!' Zeke thought. That man could be a lookalike, but two different men could not have resembled ea
Zeke thought Jackson's attitude toward Serenity seemed a little too gentle. The great Mr. Valor he knew had never been gentle with women. He probably had never even treated the late Mira this way.Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zeke's mind. He thought about the previous advertisements that had been withdrawn. Zeke was in turmoil.Before this, they had thought that Jackson had a problem with the Shaw family and the high-profile marriage proposal because of Serenity. Thinking about it again, Serenity was indeed an issue, however, it was a completely different reason from what they had initially thought!Meanwhile, Serenity and Jackson were eating a meal together at home, and Serenity was telling Jackson about what had happened at the Sanitation Office earlier. "I don't know why, but the director fired Quinn. I thought I would be the one fired.""Isn't that a good thing?" Jackson said.Serenity hesitated slightly. "Well, I'm glad I wasn’t dismissed, but I don't know if Quin
Zeke was staring at his girlfriend, Jenny. Although she was wearing such a gorgeous dress, he was distracted. His mind was full of what he had seen last night. Jackson and Serenity's faces were flashing through his mind.Zeke still felt that what he had seen last night was like a dream. He thought, 'What the hell is going on? Serenity and Jackson? What the hell is going on between them?!'Jenny was unhappy seeing her fiance so distracted. She frowned, asking, "What's wrong with you? You have been so distracted since yesterday. Why are you still so distracted today? If you don't want to be engaged to me, just say so."Startled, Zeke hurried up and reassured her with a smile, "How could that be? Why wouldn't I want to be engaged to you? You should know that I'm absolutely devoted to you.""Devoted to me?" Jenny arched her brow. "So you really don't love Serenity anymore?"Zeke's expression faltered slightly. He asked, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, "Why did you mention her again? I
Connor responded with a meaningful smile, "You'll know when you meet him."Zeke felt apprehensive about the meeting.The car soon stopped at the gate of Valor Residence. Zeke followed Connor into the house and saw Jackson sitting on the couch.Jackson was playing with an invitation card in his hands. As Zeke approached Jackson, he saw it was the invitation to his engagement party with Jenny. "We meet again," Jackson greeted indifferently.Zeke shuddered a little. Jackson wore a tailored gray-blue suit, his bangs were combed back, revealing his forehead. He had a relaxed look in his beautiful eyes, and his defined nose and sexy lips with a small smile had an indescribable charm. No wonder many women were obsessed with him. Many celebrities and wealthy ladies from high society were desperate for Jackson's attention. It was not just for Jackson's influential identity but also because of his looks.Subsequently, those beautiful eyes glanced at Zeke, and Zeke stiffened. He felt lik
“……” 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