"Why?" Lisa was confused because there was no reason for him to get involved.The White family was starting to expand their business to Solaria, so they had to build a good relationship with Jackson Valor. If they offended Jackson Valor now, their development in Solaria would become much harder."What if I tell you that I don't care who I offend if it's for you? Will you believe me?" he asked, staring into her eyes.Lisa suddenly felt her mind go blank and felt something rising up from her heart.She wondered how much of what he said was true and how much was false.But right now, she could not resist the urge to trust him.Connor was relieved to hear from the butler that Lisa Quest and Terry White had already left the mansion.It had been such a chaotic day. It seemed like everybody wanted to join in on the fun!However, Connor's biggest worry was still his boss, who had stayed in the kitchen for three hours after returning from outside.He just stood there looking at the ca
From now on, he would be free of worry and fear. He would not have to worry about her falling in love with Lucas Gomez anymore, nor worry about how much Lucas Gomez meant to her.He would not make the same mistake his father did. He would never become wretched and pathetic for love like his father.Never!Jackson left the kitchen and went upstairs.Connor gazed at his boss' back with a complex expression.If there was anyone in the world who could dictate Mr. Valor's life and death... for some reason, at that moment, the name Serenity Lewis crossed his mind.The following morning, when Serenity woke up, she spotted a neatly-wrapped present on her bed. It was a birthday present from Lisa and Terry.She did not open it last evening.Serenity sat up slowly and opened the present. It was a charming doll dressed in a lawyer's outfit that resembled her.There was also a handwritten card from Lisa inside. It read, "I hope every day brings you joy and takes you a step closer to your
At least Serenity got back her lawyer's license, so she could do the job she loved once more. "I'll come with you," Lisa said. "I drove here today, so I can take you." The two women went to a realtor. Serenity did not need a fancy place, so it did not take long for her to find a suitable place.They inspected the house in the morning and signed the rental agreement with the landlord that very afternoon.The rent was 1700 dollars per month, and the public transportation options were good. There were supermarkets and restaurants nearby, so it was pretty convenient.Lisa, however, thought the area was a bit rough. She was concerned for her best friend's safety.Serenity said, "I won't be staying here forever. It's just a temporary place until my income stabilizes. After that, I'll move to a new place. Plus, I'll try not to go out at night that frequently. I'll be fine."Lisa could not come up with a better option, so she could only compromise.Later that day, Lisa helped Serenit
But... Serenity looked down at her flat stomach.She's afraid she would never have children of her own. In the past, the problem was physical. She believed she was physically unable to have kids.Now, her body could potentially recover, but she was already tired. She no longer had the courage to believe in love!Serenity arrived at the small restaurant after 7:00 pm, so it was past the peak hours. "There you are!" When Clara saw Serenity, she greeted her and immediately noticed Serenity's tired-looking face. She asked, "Have you had dinner? Do you want something to eat?" Serenity pondered and said, "Sure. Can I have some spaghetti? I haven't had that in a while." "No problem. One spaghetti, coming right up!" Clara said and passed the order to the kitchen.It didn't take long for a plate of tasty spaghetti to arrive. "Enjoy! Consider it your belated birthday treat!" "Thanks," Serenity said before quietly eating the spaghetti. Clara let Serenity eat in peace. She went aro
The cake dropped to the floor. A tall man emerged from a car near the restaurant entrance. He walked purposefully towards her under the moonlight.He wore a sharp suit and his hair was neatly combed, as usual. He wore a cold expression on his face, and his penetrating gaze felt like it could see into the depths of her heart.When those eyes locked onto someone, they would feel scared, as if they were being observed by a predator.And now, those eyes were locked onto Clara!Clara felt the blood in her veins go cold. The coldness was almost suffocating!Wilson Birch!The man finally stood before her!When she ran away from the shopping mall that day, she already had a vague feeling that this time, she might not be able to run anymore – he would soon find her.However, she did not expect it to happen this quickly!It was so sudden that it left her breathless. "Long time no see," his icy voice broke the silence of the night.Her body trembled at the voice. Long time no see? I
When she was starving and struggling, he was probably eating like a king with the woman he loved."Can you let go?" Clara asked. "I believe we've said everything that needed to be said in court. I've served my time in prison, just like you wanted. Does Mr. Birch require anything else from me?"Wilson Birch narrowed his eyes. The woman before him no longer possessed the tenderness he remembered from years prior. It felt like she was covered in thorns, keeping others at bay.Her use of the phrase "let go" stung his ears. "Clara Wells, you don't honestly believe that spending a few years in prison is enough to atone for your crime, do you?!" Wilson Birch spoke coldly, his slim fingers gripping Clara's arm harder. "You're too naive if you think that!"Clara chuckled in response. He's calling her naive?He had already shattered every bit of naivety in her. "I don't owe you anything, Wilson Birch," she declared, raising her chin and meeting his gaze head on.Her life may be sad and p
Her calmness surprised Wilson Birch. "You're not trying to run away anymore?" he asked, tugging his tie loose."Can I run away?" She seemed to find the question funny.She already attempted that. Once when she got out of prison and once when she saw him at the mall, but in the end... he still found her.Run as you might, sometimes fate, like a cruel joke, would just take you back to where you started."You can't." That was the answer Wilson Birch gave her, "Even if you run away again, I'd still find you. I guarantee it.""Then why should I run?" Clara shrugged, as if she had already given up, "Now then, Mr. Birch, how do you intend to make me pay me for the life I owe you?"Wilson Birch pursed his lips and stared at Clara, "I'm curious – who helped you hide all your traces after you got out of prison?"Otherwise, it would not have taken him this long to find her."A friend," Clara replied nonchalantly."What kind of friend?" he asked."A friend I would sacrifice my life for!"
Clara was bewildered.He's kissing her?Why was he kissing her? Shouldn't he hate her? Then why was he kissing her so passionately?She lost track of time until the kiss finally ended, and he let out a sigh.Wilson Birch did not expect the kiss would make him feel so... satisfied!He had not felt that kind of satisfaction for a long time!Why? Why must it be her? He gazed at the woman in front of him with complicated emotions and gently touched her slightly reddened lips, which he had just kissed.She had lost some of her youthfulness after four years, becoming more graceful. Her eyes were captivating and could easily capture a man's heart.Did she captivate another man with those eyes?When he remembered her words that she could surrender her life for another man, his mood became terrible. Did that man also kiss her like this?"Wilson Birch, what do you want?!" Clara's voice snapped him back to his senses.She would no longer blush like she would always do after he kissed
“……” 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