...... Adrienne paused for a moment. If she accepted everything that people gave her just because they liked her, wouldn't that be as though she was cheating on Jefferson? Upon hearing what Jefferson said, Phoebe nodded happily. "That's right, Miss Carter. Your husband spoke my mind. I'm giving you gifts because I like you. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't bother to do that at all. Your husband is a good man. Plus, he's so handsome and such a sweet-talker too." Adrienne had nothing to say in reply. Why did it feel like the ever dramatic and overbearing Jefferson had suddenly become everyone's favorite? Although in a few more days, when they really got to know Jefferson's true colors, they would realize they were wrong about him. They would understand that no matter how handsome he was, he was still infuriating at times. Phoebe nagged on her a bit more before going home happily. Adrienne stood there with the basket in her hands, looking sk
...... It began raining heavily right after dinner. Listening to the pitter-patter of the rain on the roof, Adrienne looked up at the ceiling in concern. She wasn't sure if Jefferson had patched the roof up properly. If he hadn't, with such heavy rain, the house would be all waterlogged the next morning. Noticing that Adrienne was looking at him with a doubtful expression, Jefferson was upset. He said, "Have some faith in my work, will you? You can call me your son if the roof leaks tonight." "It's impossible for me to have a son that old." Hearing his nonsense, Adrienne burst into laughter. "That's true!" Jefferson nodded and added, "You're such an idiot. How could you have a son as handsome and as smart as me, right?" As Jefferson spoke, Adrienne instinctively stroked her lower abdomen, where a tiny, new life was growing. Although Adrienne didn't know the gender of the child, she would love and educate that little life well. She would n
Adrienne threw the towel at his face and huffed, "Do what you want. If you don't dry yourself and catch a cold, it's your own fault. You're a full-grown man, I'm not going to take care of you." "What a heartless woman!" Jefferson took away the towel which Adrienne had used to cover her face. "Since you don't want to dry me off, then don't. I will stay cold because no one will feel sorry for me even if I fall sick anyway." "You..." Adrienne laughed out of frustration. "Are you a three-year-old child? Could you not be this childish?" "Am I being childish? I'm sad because you don't care about me," replied Jefferson. Adrienne really was powerless against him. She knew that if she didn't help him, he would really stay there in the cold. So, she gave in. "Turn around." "What do you mean 'turn around'?" Jefferson reached out and pulled her into his arms. Then, he said arrogantly, "Adrienne, you've seen and touched every last inch of me. So why are you pretending
...... With that, Jefferson fell asleep with a smile. As soon as Adrienne opened her eyes the next morning, she saw the smile on the corners of Jefferson's lips. At that moment, she thought that Jefferson was actually quite good-looking. However, because of his arrogant attitude, no one dared to look at him directly. How could people notice that he was handsome if he acted that way? Looking at him, Adrienne couldn't help but put her hand on his face. She caressed the outline of his face gently and said, "Jeff, you will always be with me, right?" She got close to him and nuzzled her face against his. "Jeff, you wouldn't know how afraid I was after finding out all those things about Sheridan." "I was terrified that everyone around me was wearing a mask, and that no one was the person I knew them to be." She shook her head and smiled bitterly. "If you, too, were like that, what would I have done? I suppose I might never be able to trust any
...... Adrienne snapped, "Did I ask for your opinion, though?" "You just did," Jefferson replied. Jefferson was indeed an unreasonable man. He was annoying her to the point that she wished she could punch him in the face at that instant. In the heat of the moment, Adrienne blurted out, "When I asked you if you like children, I meant the one we would have." "Of course I'll like our children. If I don't like the child you give birth to, who else would I like?" Jefferson wondered what was going on through Adrienne's mind that would lead her to ask such stupid questions. But... Wait. Jefferson came to a sudden realization. He said, "Adrienne, what did you just say? Say it again." Adrienne was a little excited at the sight of the sudden anxious look on his face. She raised her eyebrows and said, "It's exactly what you think." "What I... think?" Jefferson gulped down nervously. Then, he asked cautiously, "Are you pregnant?" Adrienne nodde
...... Alexis kept up with Johan and reported, "Mr. Silas, there is no news of Miss Sierra for the time being." Hearing his answer, Johan stopped short and looked coldly at him. He didn't speak, but the look in his eyes was enough for Alexis to decipher what he meant. He wanted to know where Sierra was as soon as possible. He needed to know if she was safe. "Worry not, Mr. Silas. I've already contacted our men to look for her. I'll let you know once they get hold of her news." Alexis wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, trembling with fear. However, a series of thoughts were racing through his mind. Johan had just sworn in front of the Yard family that he didn't love Sierra, so why was he asking them to search for her at the greatest speed available? Ever since Sierra's disappearance, Johan, who had always been calm and indifferent, suddenly couldn't keep his wits about him. Though he was obviously affected by it, he still feigned indiff
...... Sierra, however, said calmly, "Yes, I've lost my mind but don't worry about me. I know what I should do from now on. I won't let any of you worry about me anymore." Listening to her honest-to-goodness confession, Jefferson's temper subsided in an instant. He spread his strong arms and hugged Sierra. "Sierra, don't ever lose sight of your worth. Johan isn't the only man in the world. There are many other men who are waiting to be with you." Speaking of that, Jefferson instinctively thought of Adrienne, who was next to him. When it came to love, it was indeed much easier said than done. If it were that easy to move on from someone, he would not have chased after Adrienne, that clueless little idiot, for so many years. "You are right. Why should I give up the entire ocean for a fish? It's not worth it." Sierra smiled as Johan's words once again echoed in her head. Those methods she used to vie for his attention would only make him see her a
...... "Adrienne is a good girl. If we don't help her, then should we just watch as you bully her?" Maxwell was by no means trying to bully Jefferson, but he was worried that this brat would bully and anger his granddaughter-in-law. If so, Jefferson would definitely grow old and die alone. "When did I bully her?" Staring at Adrienne's pleasantly smiling face, Jefferson felt like he was being treated unfairly. It was that little idiot who was getting on his nerves all these while. Adrienne pinched him covertly and thought, "Who is the one annoying the other, huh?" "Since we're on the topic, let's talk then." Maxwell looked at Jefferson and said, "Tell me how much you love Adrienne." Jefferson was taken aback by Maxwell's question. It was one thing for him to love Adrienne, but he couldn't be saying it out loud in front of everyone, could he? He had a reputation to keep up too, all right. "If you love someone, then you should tell them dire
...... 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