Serenity pursed her lips and took a deep breath. "Where is he now?" Serenity asked Connor."If you'd like to see Mr. Valor, you can come downstairs in a few minutes. I'll take you to Mr. Valor," Connor said.Serenity was stunned. She had not expected Connor to come. Was her reaction within Jackson's expectations? Jackson had figured that she would beg him to get Clara and Yanny out after knowing where they were. Was that why he had sent Connor to wait downstairs first?Serenity was trapped in the net, she realized, and she had no hope of escape!"Got it," Serenity said and put her phone away.When Serenity returned to her desk, her colleagues had begun to leave one after another as it was time to get off work. Serenity hurriedly packed up and left the office. Fortunately, it was already the end of the day, so she did not have to ask for a leave from work.Serenity went downstairs and spotted a gray car waiting across the street. Connor got out of the car, greeting her.Serenity
Serenity was stunned. The whole place? Serenity could not fathom why Jackson would go to such great lengths to reserve the place for himself. She did not think many restaurants would accept any request to book out the entire restaurant, especially an exclusive place like this. Even if they were wealthy, only a select few in Solaria could afford to reserve a top-notch restaurant like this.Serenity followed Connor to the third floor and saw only one table in the spacious hall. Jackson sat on one side, browsing the menu in his hands. When he heard the footsteps, he tilted his head up and glanced over in her direction.His dark eyes, sparkling with light, met hers, and his lips curved into a smile. It was mesmerizing and unforgettable. Was this the most perfect smile Serenity would ever see in her life?Letting out a deep breath, Serenity walked over to Jackson. "Hey. I was wondering if you could help me get Clara and Yanny out of Wilson's place." Jackson chuckled. "Have a seat."
What about him? How much did he mean to her?! Jackson felt uncomfortable thinking about this. Was this a kind of jealousy?"If this hadn't happened to her, you wouldn't have come to me at all, would you?" Jackson asked, staring intently at her.Serenity remained silent, but the look on her face said it all.A tense atmosphere filled the room. Fortunately, the restaurant staff started bringing out the food, serving the table with many gourmet dishes.Serenity had no desire to eat at all. She was worried about Clara and Yanny. Wilson might take Yanny away. If he did...Serenity thought of the last time Clara had gotten herself injured and hospitalized. Wilson had still been unaware of Yanny's existence at that time. Clara had hurt herself just to draw the line between her and Wilson. She did not want anything to do with Wilson. Serenity did not dare to imagine what would happen this time."Let's eat," Jackson's cold voice rang. He grabbed the cutleries and put some food onto her pl
Jackson had once told her that one day, she would beg to be his sister again. Sure enough, everything he said had come true!Serenity drew a deep breath and exhaled. "I-I'll be your Sis. Can you get Clara and Yanny away from Wilson right away? Send someone to protect them! Don't let Wilson hurt them!"Serenity made her choice. She was willing to be Jackson's Sis again if it was what it took to keep Clara and Yanny safe.Clara had pulled her through her difficult times, and Yanny… Yanny was such a pure child. She had to protect that child!"Sure." Jackson smiled, satisfied by her answer. He drew his phone out and started dialing. After giving Connor the orders, he turned to Serenity again. "It's done.""How long will it take to find out if Clara and Yanny have left safely?" Serenity asked."It shouldn't take long. Okay, let's eat first, Sis." Jackson called Serenity affectionately. The gentle smile on his face seemed the same as before.Serenity visibly stiffened at the way Jacks
Serenity stared at him in surprise. "You're moving in?""What's wrong with that? Didn't we live together before?" Jackson asked, amused.'But it was different,' Serenity thought, unable to answer him for a moment. She pursed her lips tightly.Jackson leaned down, his face close to her cheek. He questioned, "You don't want to live with me, Sis?" Serenity could feel his breath against her face. His perfectly chiseled face was so close to her that she could see every lash. She could even see the flutter of his eyelashes.Serenity tried to turn away from his gaze, but he took her jaw between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at him."What? Is it hard to answer?" His voice was clear and cold, his dark eyes staring at her with a sharp, scrutinizing gaze as if to read her thoughts. "Are you regretting it? Regretting your promise to me for Clara?""I… won't regret it," Serenity said, a tinge of pain in her voice. "Our roles have changed, but I just can't shift my mindset as
Clara was already somewhat familiar with the story of how Serenity and Jackson had met each other. In fact, the first time she heard it, she had even marveled at the magical way fate had brought together two people of very different backgrounds. Yet now, she began to wonder if it was not actually destiny that had brought them together but cruel tragedy instead."You shouldn't have sacrificed yourself just for me!" cried Clara, her heart heavy with guilt."It wasn't entirely because of you," explained Serenity. "There's no need to feel guilty, Clare. Jackson had long made up his mind to make me his sister again, so I know that even if your incident hadn't happened, something else would've arisen that would urge me to make this kind of decision."As long as it was something that Jackson Valor had set his mind to, he would always find a way to get what he wanted. Even if she was able to refuse him once or twice, there was no guarantee that she could do it indefinitely. In fact, it wa
"In that case," said Serenity, "I'll help you. We should be prepared for whatever that's going to happen now, but there's no need to be too pessimistic."Clara gratefully replied, "Thank you, Serenity!"If it had not been for Serenity, Clara could not even imagine what she would do now. In fact, it was likely that she would never have been able to leave Wilson Birch yesterday!Afterward, Serenity parted ways with Clara with a heavy heart. She did not tell Clara that if Wilson really did decide to take it to court and fight for custody rights, it was very likely that he would win. After all, Clara's life was not that stable right now, and she even used to be in prison. As for Wilson, he was a well-known entrepreneur from San Marco with a spotless history and background. With his almost unlimited resources, he could give his child the best possible life.Moreover, there were even rumors now that Wilson Birch and Sandra Cooper were about to get married. A normal family would have fa
Jackson's eyes suddenly turned stormily gloomy. Contradictory… She was certainly right. He had indeed been self-contradictory! He was afraid that he would love her too deeply—that the same fate that had befallen his father would befall him. He was afraid that he would discard his dignity, even his life, for love, and all his happiness and sorrows would be completely in her control!But after they had broken up, he still could not suppress the urge to see her and the desire to keep her by his side no matter what.Staring at her with burning eyes, his lips parted slightly as he told her, "Do you know that you're the only one in the world who could make me contradict myself like this?!"Serenity was taken aback. She stared back at him in confusion.What on earth could those words mean?!His gaze was a mix of extreme desire and extreme restraint—the perfect embodiment of contradiction!***The next day, Serenity had just walked out of her office building after work when she was ap