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
Jackson walked out shirtless with nothing but a bath towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was dripping wet. When he noticed Serenity in the room, he smiled gently and said, "Ah, you're here already!""Uh-huh," she responded, averting her eyes awkwardly."What's wrong?" He walked up to her. "Why are you acting so shy? Aren't you going to dry my hair with a towel? I remember how you did that without me even asking the first night you brought me back to your place.""You're a little too tall, so I can't reach you. Why don't you…"As soon as she spoke, he bent down towards her and asked, "This should settle it, right?"The sudden approach of his face startled her. She turned aside, and her eyes inescapably met with his. There was something mesmerizing about his eyes that made it impossible for her to look away. Shortly afterward, he placed a dry towel in her hands and told her, "I like it when you dry my hair."With stiff movements, she held the towel up to his head and began
"Spacing out?" he mumbled. In an instant, the scissors were already completely in his hand.He looked down at it with a cold look in his eyes. Just now, the thought that had gone through his head was that he was willing to die if she really wanted to kill him!How could he have such a ridiculous thought?He never wanted to place his life in the hands of any woman. He should be the only one who had the power over his own life, right? Was this not the exact reason why he had broken up with her back then?But why did he still think that way at that moment, even after they had broken up?"I really wasn't trying to kill you, Jackson."His silence had made her misunderstand what he was actually thinking. "Even if we did break up," she added, "and even if I was heartbroken and sad about it at first, it was all in the past now. I would never try to kill you just because you broke up with me."His eyebrows rose without him realizing it. She was clearly just trying to clarify things wit
His answer left Serenity speechless.What did he think of her as... his lucky charm? She shook her head, trying to discard these ridiculous thoughts in her mind and focus on the case materials in her hands.In a few days, the trial for Leon's case would formally begin. Based on the way the defendant behaved, it seemed as if she wanted to keep on dragging the trial for as long as possible and avoid paying any compensation.To the defendant, being in prison for a year instead of paying out millions of dollars was indeed a good bargain, and although Serenity was about 70% to 80% sure that the true perpetrator was the actress, Susie Sheen, the evidence she had now was not nearly enough to prove it in court!Perhaps… Perhaps she should take another trip along the route that the defendant's car had taken. That way, she might be able to find some new clues. After all, that was the only thing she could do right now, otherwise, even if they won the case when it went to trial, Leon and his f
She called him by that name over and over again, yet at the same time, she kept silently reminding herself that he was Jackson Valor and no one else."I'll always be Jack whenever I'm with you," he told her, holding her with both of his hands.As his scent enveloped her whole body, sadness flashed across her eyes. He would forever be just Jackson Valor to her now because her Jack was gone the moment he had broken up with her!***Meanwhile, in a hotel bedroom, Wilson told Sandra through the phone, "I'll be home tomorrow, okay? Don't worry about the rumors online. I'll deal with it.""What in the world is going on, Wilson? What made you leave without telling me anything at all? I… I'm not blaming you, I just want to know the truth."Sandra's voice was tinged with such innocent distress that anyone listening to her would have rushed to comfort and reassure her."I'll tell you everything once I get home," replied Wilson as he massaged his temples.He had barely slept at all over t
"Uncle!" cried Yanny in surprise.Wilson walked up to the boy and tousled his hair.When Clara's mother heard the noise, she walked over, and her face turned ashen when she saw Wilson. She had an urge to pull her grandson away from him, but she shook like a leaf again when she saw how he coldly glanced at her.This was the man who had brought so much pain to the Wells family. So much pain that she could not even begin to describe it. When Clara was in custody, she had begged him not to appear in court and testify against Clara, but it was of no use at all, because this man merely coldly looked at her and told her, "This is what the Wells family owes to the Birch family, and this is what she owes to Sandra Cooper! In fact, just letting her stay in prison for a few years is too kind of a punishment after what she's done!"Clara realized that her mother was afraid right now, so she rushed up to her and held her hands firmly. Only then did her mother calm down a little."Let's talk