Joy continued to complain.When their parents heard that, they could not help but frown.$720,000 was not a lot of money for the Shaw family, but it was for ordinary people."Zeke, you..." Marcia Shaw stared at her son in disbelief."You should ask Joy what she did," Zeke Shaw said irritably, "She was the one who told Serenity to choose any dress in the store and said she would pay for it. Serenity chose a $720,000 dress. I was merely cleaning up the mess Joy made.""I wasn't actually going to pay!" said Joy, "Zeke, you still have lingering feelings for Serenity Lewis, don't you?!""I was just trying to save your life!" Zeke wished he could slap his sister again.Joy retorted indignantly, "You're funny. What can Serenity Lewis do to me?""Yeah, Zeke, that was too much. You shouldn't have hit your sister for Serenity Lewis. That woman is simply bad luck. If not for her, we wouldn't need to be so cautious when we deal with the Valor family!" Marcia Shaw took her daughter's side.
Zeke wanted to make amends with Jackson Valor, but he could not even get the chance to see him, so all he could do was wait at the main entrance of Serenity's neighborhood, hoping to run into Jackson. When he finally saw a Bentley pull up not far from the entrance and a man coming down from it, he quickly got out of his car to greet the man."Mr. Valor, I'm really sorry for what happened before. My sister is young and ignorant. Please forgive us," Zeke humbly apologized."Forgive you?" Jackson snorted indifferently."If you have any requests, feel free to tell me. I'll agree to anything as long as it's within my power to do so."Jackson stared coldly at the guy in front of him. In that instant, Zeke felt like his blood was freezing up. Jackson's gaze made him feel like he was being watched by a fierce beast. He did not even dare to breathe too hard."Actually, I owe you a favor," Jackson abruptly said."A favor?" Zeke was perplexed. He had no idea when he did Jackson Valor a favo
Before Joy could finish her threat, the man interrupted her, "So you are Miss Shaw. Thank you, that's all we need to know."After that, the man turned to the people behind him and said, "Smash her right foot. That's the foot she extended in the video."W-What?!Joy was shocked. These people weren't here to blackmail her?A moment later, a painful scream resounded in the private room...When Serenity woke up the next morning, the fever had finally subsided. Jackson said, "Fortunately, the fever has gone down, or I would have to carry you to the hospital again today.""I... had a fever last night?" mumbled Serenity."Yup. And you talked a lot during your fever dreams," he said.She was taken aback. "I... What did I say?" Surely she didn't say anything she shouldn't have, right?"You said you'd be a good little girl. You also asked me to stay by your side," he said with a rare tease in his eyes.She instantly blushed."But don't worry, Sis, even if you're not a good little gir
God, what was she thinking? How could she think that?"It's too close so it feels weird," said Serenity."Okay, then," he said. He released her and took a step back, then went to the table to clear it.Serenity let out a sigh of relief. She touched her face, and it felt quite hot."By the way, Sis, when we were really close just now, did you have the urge to kiss me?" His sudden question made her entire body freeze up.She blinked her dark almond eyes. The face under her palms felt even hotter now."Is that a hard question to answer?" he asked with raised eyebrows."Well... Of course I...""I would do it if it's with you," he interrupted her, "I don't like other women kissing me, but if it's you, I wouldn't mind it."Sunlight spilled into the room through a narrow glass window and fell on him.His expression was serious, as if he was trying to convince her that he was not joking.The latter part of her sentence, "I only see you as a brother", got stuck in her throat, unable
She bit her lip and said, "Relying on yourself is always better than relying on others. Only by relying on yourself will you not be disappointed."Because the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment."But I really want to become a person you can rely on. What should I do?" He raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at her calmly."If it's you..." she smiled, "Then of course it would be great. I'll be waiting for you to take care of me in the future.”"What made you change your mind?" he asked."Because I know you'll never let me down. Because..." she paused, "Because you won't abandon me no matter what, am I right?"He smiled and said, "Yeah, I definitely won't abandon you."That night, after making sure that Serenity was sound asleep, Jackson left Serenity's apartment and went to a nearby apartment.Unlike Serenity's tiny apartment, this apartment was much bigger and much more spacious. The decoration was also more elaborate.Connor was waiting for Jackson in
Jackson soon ended the call and told Connor, "You handle the rest of the meeting. Wrap it up and give me the minutes tomorrow.""And you, Mr. Valor?""Serenity suddenly woke up. She asked me where I was. I have to go back," said Jackson, "I've already made all the major decisions anyway. All that's left is to work out the details."After saying that, he left the house. When the foreign executives who were waiting for him saw him leave, it sparked another round of discussion among them.Connor finally unmuted the conference call from his side."Mr. Gunn, what's going on?""Why did Mr. Valor leave?""Who called him just now?""Ooh, that expression on Mr. Valor's face when he talked on the phone, that was definitely love."The foreigners talked excitedly.Connor could only put on an awkward smile. "Alright, let's continue the meeting." Love? Was Mr. Valor really in love?Connor was not sure.If Mr. Valor really was to start a relationship with Serenity, the news would probably
As if they had never shown any emotion before.But Connor had seen a hint of tenderness in those very eyes when Jackson was talking to Serenity Lewis on the phone.It was then that he realized his boss' eyes were not cold towards everyone. There were exceptions."Mr. Valor, the car is already waiting outside," informed Connor."Okay, let's go," Jackson said indifferently. He was originally not that interested in the engagement party, but now, things were a little different.Zeke Shaw, the man who once dated Serenity. Serenity no longer had any feelings for this man. The possibility of their relationship rekindling was almost zero.But... Jackson wanted to be absolutely certain.He did not want the slightest possibility to exist. Tonight was the night that the possibility would completely disappear.How could he not be interested?After dinner, Serenity had nothing to do, so she picked up her phone and browsed the web.The entire internet seemed to be discussing the marriage
Ever since she was young, she had been trying hard to please everyone. She wanted her father to praise her and her stepmother to not hate her. Even though she obtained a lot of achievements, living like that was simply too tiring.Zeke Shaw made her understand that she could not rely on anyone else but herself.But... Jack said he wanted her to rely on him. Serenity could not help smiling when she thought of Jack. Perhaps the luckiest thing to happen to her after her release from prison was meeting Jack.She continued browsing the web. She came upon a post that said Jackson Valor had also gone to the hotel to attend the engagement party, but he was surrounded by bodyguards who stopped people from snapping photos, so not even the reporters could get a photo of him.Whoever took a photo of him had to delete all the pictures they had taken on the spot.Yes, he was bossy, but he was Jackson Valor.The poster said he risked his life to get a shot of Jackson Valor's back. Jackson Valor
“……” 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