Sierra strolled towards the neighborhood entrance, lost in thought, when she seemed to collide with someone in a daze."Ouch..." The person she bumped into collapsed instantly, screaming, "Ouch, my back! It hurts so much."Sierra snapped out of her daze, looking at the person on the ground—a silver-haired elderly man. She could not fathom how she bumped into him, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of her father's illegitimate child. Could she really have bumped into someone?The elderly man's expression seemed too exaggerated, though.Sierra was walking at a normal speed. How could she have hit him so hard?"You owe me money," the old man said, looking at Sierra. "My back… It’s broken."Sierra was at a loss for words.Now she understood she had encountered a scam.Sierra was furious. Already in a bad mood, she had nowhere to vent her frustration. Typically, she might have given a small amount to avoid trouble, but not today! Her anger was seeking an outlet, and this scammer
In no time, people dispersed, leaving only Sierra and Dan."It’s okay. Everything's fine now," Dan said gently to Sierra.Sierra looked at Dan, gratitude and admiration filling her eyes. "Thank you."Dan smiled warmly. "No need to thank me. I've seen you twice before. Do you live in the second building?"Sierra laughed. "No, it's my mom who lives here."Dan nodded, suddenly realizing, "Ah, I see."It seemed his guess was correct."Hi, I'm Sierra." Sierra smiled, extending her hand to Dan."Dan." Dan shook hands with Sierra.Sierra hesitated for a moment. It might be her imagination, but it felt like Dan had exerted a little force while shaking her hand, making her feel his strength. His palm was broad. There was a slight callus tickling her smooth hand.Her heart fluttered, and she glanced deeply at Dan.Dan caught her gaze, smiling gently. "You must have been scared just now. How about a drink to calm your nerves?"Sierra looked at Dan, nodding with a smile. "Sure."Her f
Sierra said, "...No."Now that her parents' divorce was inevitable, how could she stop it? Even if her dad did not want to divorce, her mom was determined to."So, what do you want me to do?" Paige asked.Sierra looked at Paige and moved her lips, wanting to say something but unsure how to start.Paige looked back at Sierra, understanding her sister's thoughts. Sierra had already talked to her about it the last time. What Sierra wanted was Quirks Enterprise.Before, Sierra had always seen Quirk Enterprise as their family's treasure. Since the Quirks only had two daughters, with Paige being less favored, Sierra always assumed the Quirks would naturally be hers. However, Bob now had a son with another woman, and it was not just any son. It was a grandson their grandparents had long awaited to carry on the Quirks’ legacy."Sierra, Quirk Enterprise was built up by Grandpa and Grandma and handed down to Dad... It's the effort of two generations, and we haven't contributed anything
"Nothing." Paige pouted.Well, if he was going to give her that attitude, she would not tell him.Chris raised an eyebrow, realizing the girl was throwing a tantrum, not wanting to spill the beans. In that case, he would not press her. After all, coercing people was not his style.He decided to ignore Paige and went about his business.Paige stared at Chris turning around. Was he just going to leave it at that? Was he not going to ask more questions? His concern for her seemed perfunctory. Had he grown tired of her and lost his patience? All he did was throw a question out there, and whether she answered or not, he would move on?What a jerk!Paige felt stifled. She actually wanted someone to talk to. Even if they could not help, just someone to listen would do. However, she could not find anyone except Chris. Apart from Chris, there was no one else to talk to.Well, she could talk to her two besties, but they were overseas. Hence, she could only spill her feelings to them onl
Paige nodded. "Okay."Chris looked at the obedient Paige and chuckled. She was really a sweet and naive girl."Why are you laughing?" Paige asked.What was so funny?"I laugh because you're a sweet and naive girl," Chris said with delight.Paige pouted. "But don't you like sweet naive?"In fact, being called sweet and naive nowadays was not a compliment. Most of the time, it was an insult."Yeah." Chris nodded with a faint smile. "I like sweet and naive."Paige blushed again and looked at Chris with twinkling eyes.Chris remained silent, smiling faintly at Paige. He kept staring until Paige could not maintain eye contact.He smirked as he looked at the blushing and shy Paige. He knew she wanted to ask him that question, but... she was a bit timid, a bit shy, and could not bring herself to say it."What are you avoiding?" Chris asked with a smile.Paige blushed even more, stammering, "I-I'm not avoiding anything."Seeing Chris approaching her, Paige's face got even redder,
She thought Ann would surely give her a good talk before letting her go, but she was left so easily.Was Ann not going to pressure her into having children? Was Ann not going to push her anymore?Or maybe Ann realized she could not make decisions for her and thought pressuring her was useless?… When Paige returned to the room, Chris was sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone. He looked up when he heard movement, not surprised to see Paige empty-handed."Did Mom prepare any gifts for you?" Chris asked knowingly."No," Paige replied.Chris raised an eyebrow at her answer."Then, why did she call you over?""Nothing much. We just had a casual chat," Paige said.It was indeed like a casual chat. Even though Ann wanted to pressure her into having children, Ann did not seem to insist much.Chris chuckled and looked at Paige. "When did your relationship with my mom become good enough for casual chats?"Paige had no words to refute. Indeed, her relationship with Ann wa
Take Tina, for instance. Ever since giving birth to Mia, she had been under constant pressure from the folks at Liam’s side of the family to produce a son. Now that she was finally pregnant again, everyone hoped for a boy. However, if she happened to have another girl...Girls get married and move into their husbands' homes, facing the challenge of dealing with difficult mothers-in-law. Those were just stories of other women's experiences that he observed but did not feel much for. However, if those scenarios played out in his own daughter's life, he could not stand it.Paige stayed silent, contemplating the hardships girls endure compared to boys. "But what if I have a daughter?" She wondered aloud. After all, the gender of the child was not something she could control.Chris looked at Paige, his eyes determined. "Even though girls might face tougher challenges, my daughter, Chris’s daughter, won't suffer. I'll make sure she becomes the happiest princess in the world."Paige c
Was he doing it on purpose? What a scumbag!He just had to push her buttons until she spilled the beans. It was so infuriating!Paige was a mix of mad and embarrassed, wishing she could give Chris a piece of her mind."So I think, with your current attitude, having kids might not be our thing," Paige said.Now, Chris was genuinely confused."Are you feeling okay… in terms of your health?" Chris asked.If not, why else would having kids be a problem?Getting heated, Paige snapped back, "No, your body is the one with issues."Chris replied coolly, "Nope, I'm all good. I get a thorough check-up every year."Paige was even more infuriated. "Fine, if you're not into the whole parenting gig, fine," Paige spat out, frustrated.Chris replied, "I'm into it."He had always had a plan to have children with Paige but just a little later because he wanted to start the family after Paige graduated. Now that Paige was all about having children, he figured, why not now?"Since you want
The receptionist did not reply. Gloria: [You're in trouble. I can't save you now.]The receptionist: [No, I haven't eaten it yet.]Gloria: [Good thing you haven't. I'm coming down.]As soon as the receptionist received Gloria's message, Gloria stepped out of the elevator.Upon reaching the front desk and noticing the bag of strawberry laces opened on the desk, Gloria glared at the receptionist. "You said you hadn't eaten it!"The receptionist looked a little guilty. "I just opened it and haven't had a chance to take one yet."Gloria sneered. "Haven't had a chance? You sound like you regret it."“I don't.""You can't afford this cup of bubble tea. If you did take one, watch out… You might lose your job."The receptionist paused in surprise. "Is it expensive?"Gloria nodded. "It is."“Good thing I didn't take one," the receptionist mumbled. Gloria rolled her eyes. If they were not on the same team, she would not even bother saving her."Why is this bag of strawberry laces
Chris chuckled. "Really?"Paige's face turned slightly red. She felt embarrassed saying that, and it felt like Chris did not believe her. However, she bit the bullet and nodded. "Yeah, really."Chris smiled and said, "Well then, when you miss me next time, don't just think about it because thinking won't do you any good. When you miss me or care about me, just send me a message or call to check in. After all, I can’t read minds. Also, if you want to hug me, just hug me. Don't hold Hunter in your arms and say you want to hug me. That's just hypocritical."Paige faltered. Hug him when she wanted to hug him? Thanks, but she did not want to hug him. She could easily pick up Hunter, but could she lift Chris so easily? She was not that strong, to begin with."Remember. From now on, when you think of me, send me a message. Ask me if I've eaten, what I've eaten, if I'm tired from work, what I'm doing, or tell me what you're thinking about. Don't keep it all to yourself," Chris said wit
What did he take her for?Besides, what could a woman do with photos? She was not one of those perverted men who did some creepy stuff with women’s photos."Nothing worth admiring?" Chris raised an eyebrow.Paige nodded. "Yeah, they’re nothing worth admiring."Indeed, there was nothing worth admiring about the photos."Ha!” Chris snickered.Paige remained silent and thought, ‘Here comes the snickering again.’"You don’t mean what you say," Chris remarked.Paige frowned. "What did I say that implies otherwise? You're a strange one. You're right here in front of me. Why would I need to admire the photos?"Chris grinned. "So you don't want to admire the photos, but you want to admire me, a living person."Paige blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed. She did not mean that, but what she just said seemed to imply exactly that."How would you want to admire me?" Chris teased.Admire was such an intriguing word.Paige blushed harder. "How else can I admire you? Just by looking,
Before Hunter was born, Chris was the absolute darling of the family. His grandfather favored him, and his parents loved him dearly.However, Hunter's arrival had changed everything. The elders in the family revolved around Hunter all day long. Zander’s first question upon waking up each morning was about Hunter, followed by Ann cuddling Hunter, calling him her darling, and so on.It seemed like everyone had forgotten about Chris.How could Chris, who had always been so cherished, accept that?Chris's expression stiffened as if his thoughts had been unexpectedly revealed, his eyes flickering momentarily.Paige chuckled and said, "Are you seriously competing with a child for attention? Besides, you've been pampered by the family for so many years. Hunter has only been pampered for a few days."Chris retorted coldly, "I'm not competing with him."Paige did not buy it for a second. She smiled and said, "Sure, you're not competing with him. You're just afraid we'll spoil Hunter."A
Before, Paige could not understand people showing off their babies and wondered why they would go crazy posting their kids on social media. Now, she got it. She found her kid to be the cutest in the world and could not help but snap his photos and post them on her social media platforms to share him with others, hoping for compliments and praise for her little one.However, she also understood that posting too much could annoy people. Hence, she restrained herself to only posting once a day and made sure to fit in a couple of photos!That was her absolute limit!She felt uneasy if she did not post her baby for a day. Then, when she saw her friends' comments praising her little one, she felt happy and proud, like they were getting closer as friends.Indeed, becoming a mom had changed her mindset.Chris, who was watching Paige show off their baby on social media, was even more dissatisfied! They had been married for a long time and had a child together, yet his appearances o
After what felt like ages, Ava lay on the hotel's large bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as the sound of rushing water filled her ears. Niel was in the shower. After releasing his pent-up emotions, he headed straight for the shower. Meanwhile, she lay there, her body aching. She did not want to move a muscle because every movement brought pain.Niel was thrilled with the new experience, but Ava was suffering. She was starting to regret getting involved with Niel. He was going overboard with satisfying his physical needs, and she feared that if things continued like that, Niel might end up causing her harm or maybe even unintentionally ending her life. She had heard of such things happening before, so now, she was caught between a rock and a hard place.On one hand, she did not want to let go of Niel and give up on all the sacrifices and efforts she had put in when she was on the brink of marrying into a wealthy family and becoming a billionaire's wife. On the other han
Pierre fell silent, pondering Shelly's words carefully. Upon reflection, he found Shelly's proposal to be pretty reasonable and entirely feasible. If he were to wait until Shelly entered prison to serve her sentence, he could break up with her afterward. Once his relationship with Shelly ended, his parents would not be as angry. Even if there were some constraints preventing them from openly helping him, they could still assist him discreetly. After all, he was their son, who shared the same blood with them. His parents could not possibly abandon him entirely and let him fend for himself. By lowering himself in front of his parents, he believed they would not neglect him. By then, acquiring the five million dollars would not be too difficult.Shelly watched Pierre, not pressing him to respond. She believed Pierre knew what choice to make. Five million might seem like an astronomical figure, but for the second son of the Alfonsos, it was not much.After much deliberation
She looked at the evil smile on Chris' face, and it all came back to her.Did Chris Intentionally take Hunter to the guest room to hand him over to the nanny so that it would make it easier for him to do what he wanted? What a scumbag! However, since it was something she had personally agreed to, she would not back out.Paige did not resist Chris, and a long time later, she collapsed on the bed. She felt like she should have taken care of Hunter and not fallen for Chris' tricks.Taking care of a child was not as exhausting!She was too tired to even move her fingers.The next day, Paige slept until late morning and then got up to go down for breakfast.When Ann saw Paige, she asked with concern, "Paige, didn't you sleep well last night?"Paige looked really worn out."Didn't Hunter sleep with the nanny last night?" Ann asked curiously.Paige blushed with embarrassment and said, "Last night… I wasn't used to sleeping without Hunter, so I didn't get a good sleep."Ann smile
Even if she offered her sincerity, Chris would not appreciate it, so what else could she offer? "Is money the only thing you have? Do you have nothing else besides money?" Chris said.He thought she was truly clueless. Even after being married for so long and having a child together, did she not know what he wanted?However, Paige was indeed puzzled. Besides money, what else did she have? What else could she have?Chris looked her up and down, speechless. Paige might not have understood what he meant before, but she did now. He meant that although she did not have money, she still had a young body.It seemed all Chris lusted was her body."I’m still recovering," Paige said with a slight blush on her face. She knew Chris had been patient for a long time. They barely had any intimacy during the last trimester of her pregnancy, but there was nothing she could do. She did not want to refuse him, but her body would not allow it.Chris glanced at Paige and said, "We can try other