...... Only a few simple sentences were scribbled on the note. "Jefferson, there are some things I can't figure out at the moment so I'm going to a place to think things through quietly. Please give me some time, and don't look for me. I'll be back once I figure everything out. Also, please be assured that I can take care of myself, so don't worry about me. I'm so sorry that this whole thing with Sheridan has made you worry for me!" "Adrienne, you're itching for a beating, aren't you?!" As soon as he realized that Adrienne had run away from home, Jefferson was furious. He immediately called Adrienne on the phone, but the next second, he could hear the ringtone of Adrienne's phone ringing in the bedroom. D*mn it! He pulled the bedside drawer, and as expected, Adrienne's mobile phone was lying inside. There were several unread messages. Jefferson tapped on the messages and noticed that Adrienne had just withdrawn some cash from the bank. If he had know
Sierra trotted to catch up with him. However, with her high heels on and Johan's tall stature and long legs, Sierra just couldn't get near him. It was only a moment before she was left far behind. "Johan, wait for me." Johan took the lead and got into the car. He drove away without looking back, leaving his newly married wife on the side of the road right outside of the Civil Bureau. Sierra's smile faded away little by little, eventually leaving a bitter and helpless look on her face as she watched Johan drive away. She knew clearly that he didn't marry her out of love, so what was she excited for? She always knew that Johan didn't love her, but she fell in love with him and swore to marry him. After many years of hard work, she finally became his wife. A freshly printed wedding certificate was in her hand at that moment. It should have been a joyous occasion, but all she could feel just then was an unbridled mockery. She thought that a
"Sierra, have you forgotten who you are? Did you forget how high and mighty you used to be? Do you still remember how you are the apple in the Yard family's eyes? But look at you now. Who are you trying to put on this pity act for? Me, or the Yard family?" Johan turned back and stared at her face coldly. As he continued to stare at her, he unhooked her fingers, one by one. "Sierra, if you want to play games, I'll advise that you find someone else. I'm not interested." "What do you mean by that?" Sierra shook her head. "How could you think that of me? I'm not playing games. I've never thought of that even once. I really want to be with you for the rest of my life." "You want to be with me for the rest of your life?" He snickered. Born handsome, his smile immediately melted his icy appearance, which made him look much friendlier. However, his smile only lasted for a good few seconds before it was replaced by anger. "Are you going to say that you love me too?" "Ye
"What did he do?" asked Jefferson as his face darkened, his eyes glared with hatred. "Where is he now? I'll deal with him." "What do you mean 'what did he do'? And what do you mean by you will deal with him? Why are you always so impertinent when you speak? Don't tell me that you and Adrienne have never quarreled before?" Everyone in the family thought that she and Johan were together because they loved each other. However, no one knew how they truly got along all these while. If any of her family members found out the truth, they would definitely cause a scene, especially Jefferson. Sierra didn't want to cause any trouble nor did she want to expose her wounds in plain sight. She didn't want anyone to pity her and sympathize with her so she was constantly scrambling for excuses. She'd woven so many lies that even she herself was starting to believe in them. "We do, but I never bully her for real. At least I wouldn't let her go to the airport by herself this lat
...... Maxwell was really happy to see Jefferson. From the moment he laid eyes on Jefferson, the smile on his face had never faded even a second. He even invited Jefferson out to the park early in the morning to spar. Jefferson didn't want to ruin the mood, but he didn't dare to go too hard on Maxwell either. After just two moves, Maxwell complained, "You brat, at least try to be less obvious when you're going easy on me." "Since you can tell I'm going easy on you, then let's just stop right here, alright?" said Jefferson with a smile. "Wouldn't it be nicer if we just sit down and have a chat while drinking tea?" "Look at you, you're such a young chap yet you're so much less active than I am. Sparring is something you need to practice everyday, or you will lose your touch on it. Am I clear?" Because of his identity, Maxwell was strict to himself as well as his children and grandchildren. Dote as he might on his heirs, there was a limit to it. He woul
Jefferson thought that Maxwell would use all means to make him stay so that they could spend more time together. Surprisingly, he had barely even sat down before Maxwell began chasing him away. He stood by the windows of the airport, staring up into the sky. The sky was clear blue, with white, fluffy clouds scattering in it. Most people would feel rejuvenated at the sight of such weather. But at that moment, Jefferson felt as if there was a void in his heart, which made him feel particularly uneasy. Adrienne had been gone for fifteen days now. For those fifteen days, he had not heard anything about her. He had no idea if she would be down this path he was currently trekking. When he thought of that cruel woman... He couldn't wait to hoist her back and teach her a lesson. ...... At Blossom Ville. The morning sunshine spilled in, warming the room. Adrienne opened her eyes and was about to get up. However
...... When Adrienne woke up, she found herself at the village clinic. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was several overwrought gazes. Among them was Phoebe, who had always taken good care of her. "Phoebe..." She moved and wanted to sit up, but Phoebe reached out and pressed her down. "Miss Carter, you should lie down and rest for a little while longer." Adrienne did think that her body felt a little heavy, but she didn't feel like she needed to be lying down. "I'm fine, don't worry." Her face covered in concern, Phoebe took Adrienne's hand and said, "Miss Carter, you're still so young, but you came into this rural area all by yourself. I'm sure that your family is worried about you." At the mention of her family, Adrienne immediately thought of Sheridan. She also recalled her mother, Eudora, who had died a miserable death. At that instant, her already pale face grew even more disconsolate. "Everyone in my family is gone." Phoeb
...... "Miss Carter, I'll study diligently, and I won't make my mother worry about me anymore." Bennett nodded obediently, which made Adrienne feel that this little boy in front of her had grown up in an instant. Whether it was an adult or a child, anyone would change, however slight after encountering something life changing. Some people became better, while some... Adrienne shook her head and told herself not to think too much. That person was already a matter of the past. What mattered the most from now on was hers and Jefferson's baby. ...... After the drowning incident, Bennett became a lot more mature and restrained. He listened attentively in class and was a lot less naughty than before. It was a good thing of course, but Adrienne was worried that Bennett might have lost his playfulness as a child. During class, she could not take special care of Bennett. It might cause more harm than good to him if he were
...... Eight months later. Adrienne had given birth to a daughter, gathering the entire Yard family in Chatterton Town. Everyone was in high spirits but Jefferson had a sour expression on, as if that was the worst day of his life. Sierra found a moment and went over to Jefferson. "Hey, Jeff. Adrienne just gave birth but why do you have such a long face on? Did you want a son instead or something?" Jefferson responded rudely, "It doesn't matter to me whether it's a boy or a girl. That little girl is our daughter, and I'll love her no matter what." Sierra continued, "Why do you look so upset then?" "Must I have a reason for that?" Well, he was angry at himself. Adrienne had almost lost her life in the labor room earlier, but he hadn't been able to offer any help. Throughout Adrienne's pregnancy, Jefferson had done an enormous amount of research and found out that a C-section birth was relatively safer. Hence, he'd insisted that Adrienne und
...... Johan was still clamming up. Maxtor was so anxious that he couldn't stand still. "Johan, what happened between you and Sierra? Can't you at least explain the situation to me?" After a long silence, Johan looked up and out of the window. "There have been so many fights and misunderstandings between us in the past years and it seems that the past was a time that we can never go back to." Upon hearing this, Maxtor seemed to have put his finger on the crux of the problem. "Did Miranda make Sierra misunderstand you?" Maxtor said earnestly, "Johan, I've told you before that woman has a twisted psyche and you need to stay away from her. You pitied her for being an orphan, but look at what she has been up to." "It has nothing to do with Miranda. It's me. If I..." If he had explained everything to Sierra back then, she wouldn't have felt that insecure about their relationship. He knew everything, but he still got mad at her. Maxtor continued, "He
...... On the first day of school, Miranda was once again met with an unpredicted truth. She found out that Sierra was the top scorer in the entrance exam. She was the overachiever that every university was dying to recruit. Not only did Sierra come from a good family, but she was smart and beautiful to boot. Sierra possessed everything she could have in life. Miranda couldn't figure out why she had to take Johan away from her when she already had so much. What made Miranda even more disappointed was not her inferiority but Johan. On the first day of school, she was over the moon to see that Johan was at the gate to receive her. However, when Johan took her luggage from her and she was wallowing in her excitement to see him, He said to her, "Miranda, that is the girl I like, Sierra. She will be your sister-in-law in the future. You should get on well with her." She didn't want to be nice to her. Instead, she hated her. Mirand
...... Johan's words frightened Miranda so much that her face turned pale. "Johan, Mrs. Silas adopted me. I would have died a long time ago if it weren't for her. How could I have nothing to do with the Silas family?" Johan's face was somber, and his voice chilled Miranda to her bones. "You know that my mother was the one who took you in, but look at what you've been up to all these years?" "Johan, what-what did I do?" Miranda said, trembling with fear. Miranda was an expert at feigning a pitiful appearance and reaping sympathy from others. She even managed to tear up and gazed heart-wrenchingly at Johan at that very moment. However, Johan did not buy into her ploy at all. Not only did his eyes demonstrate her no pity, there was also a trace of disdain that Miranda had never seen before. He loathed her. Upon realizing that, Miranda's heart was broken. Johan had been her dream for those past years. She had worked so hard to do so many things in
...... Sierra wasn't able to refute because what Miranda said was the truth. It was indeed true that many could never compare with her background. However, although she was born privileged, that didn't spare her from putting in effort for her own future. Prestigious universities wanted her because she was the top scorer in the entrance exam but not because of her family background and connections. All of a sudden, Miranda smirked sinisterly. "I know you like Johan, and you want to be with him. Sierra, I like him too, and I want to be with him. You have everything so why do you still want to take my man away from me?" "Excuse me? Who took your man?" Displeased, Sierra said, "Miranda, you were the one who told me that you two were siblings, and that there was nothing going on between you guys. And mind you, you were also the one who encouraged me to go after him." Miranda shouted in a low voice, "Sierra, if I hadn't told you that, would you have remained fri
...... Averting her gaze, Sierra turned around with difficulty. However, just as she had taken a step forward, Miranda's voice sounded from behind. "Sierra, I didn't expect you to come to the airport to pick me up. Imagine my delight to be able to see you on the first day of my return." "You've misunderstood, Miss Attwood. I'm not here to pick you up." Sierra did not conceal her hatred for Miranda as she could not even be bothered to dole out the niceties at her. Miranda chuckled. "I haven't seen you for so many years, but you're still so adorable." It seemed that Miranda couldn't sense the despise Sierra had for her. She approached Sierra with a smile and wanted to give her a hug. Sierra stared at Miranda's outstretched arms and quickly dodged her. A single glance at Miranda and her eyes would be sullied. Sierra thought that she would even throw up should her body come into contact with Miranda's. Miranda was never good at reading between the
...... Stopping her car, Sierra quickly got off to check the situation. No sooner had her feet been on the ground that four men got off from the car in front of her and surrounded her. One of them pointed at her and barked, "Don't you f*cking know how to drive? If you don't, then don't drive. Say it, how much are you going to pay for the damage!" Sierra was driving in accordance to normalcy, but the other party had, so suddenly, cut into her lane without a signal. As hard as she had stepped on her brake, she still collided with the car. They were supposed to be the ones held accountable for the collision. However, they got out of the car and shouted at her, extorting compensation. Sierra suspected that these men had done so deliberately to scam her. She took out her mobile phone and was ready to call the police. However, before she could even unlock her phone, one of the men had already wrenched the phone away from her. "We have something important t
...... In the middle of cleaning the table, Rosie said, "He doesn't only come here to have meals, but he would also get one to go every time. No jalapenos on the one to go. He says that you can't take spices because your stomach doesn't handle it well." Sierra did have a stomach problem, but it wasn't till the point that she couldn't take spicy food at all. Moreover, Johan had never brought any tacos back for her. Sierra figured that he was probably getting it for someone else so she asked, "What did he say to you when he asked you to pack it?" Rosie smiled and said, "He said that he was going to bring it for his girlfriend. He's obviously talking about you, isn't he?" "Oh, his girlfriend." Smiling, Sierra did not put forth any more questions as she knew that Johan had never regarded her as his girlfriend. For him, she was nothing more like a leech that he couldn't shake off. Rosie looked at Sierra and said earnestly, "I know you two fought tod
...... "My ability to act coy?" Sierra said inwardly. She had no idea from where did his temper sneak in again. However, she knew that somehow everything she had done seemed to piss him off. If he didn't like her, then why did he come looking for her? Did he have nothing else better to do? She smiled and said, "Mr. Silas, since you don't like being around me, then let's not meet anymore in the future, nor have any meals together. I'm afraid your appetite will take a nosedive when you see me." "You shouldn't say that, Sierra." Rosie handed one of the plates to Sierra and said, "Every couple gets into fights, but you must know your boundaries. Some words are too hurtful, and you shouldn't just say everything that comes to your mind." Sierra didn't make a sound. She wasn't a fan of others poking their noses in her affairs. Besides, she was not close to Rosie either so she found her rather meddlesome. Rosie didn't seem to register in her mind that Sierra was d