Chris asked, "Why won't it be effective?"Paige hesitated and then replied, "It's not that. Seeking blessings and amulets depends on sincere intentions."Chris raised an eyebrow, "Are you suggesting that I'm not sincerely praying for you?"Paige pondered and said, "Well, it's not like that."Paige remained silent. Was that not the case? Did he think that seeking an amulet was a trivial matter? If he prayed for so many amulets, wouldn't the gods perceive that as insincere? Chris squinted at Paige and continued, "So? Do you believe that my mom sincerely prays for you while I'm insincere? Just because she has been nice to you for a few days, you think she treats you better than I do?" What a heartless little thing. Despite everything he's done for her, it couldn't compare to an amulet. Sigh."No," Paige quickly shook her head, saying, "You're the best to me.""The best?" Chris raised an eyebrow."Yeah," Paige nodded, "The absolute best."Chris smiled. So she does know that he
But what about Tina? Paige was a newly expectant mother, yet Tina spoke of miscarriage. While Tina's words wouldn't cause Paige to miscarry, hearing such remarks as a mother inevitably soured her mood. Paige's icy gaze remained fixed on Tina. Tina, taken aback, hadn't anticipated Paige to respond so assertively. Was it true that becoming a mother made one stronger? The seemingly gentle Paige had transformed into someone resolute, ready to fight for her child."Why would you say that, Paige?" Tina chuckled. "You've misunderstood me. You're doing well and so is your pregnancy. I'm delighted for you, so how could I be disappointed?""Is that so?" Paige stared at Tina, stating, "I thought that you're worried. If I give birth to a boy, it might overshadow your son. And that was why you're secretly wishing for my miscarriage."Tina's expression stiffened and her mouth twitched.Indeed, she had such thoughts. She was certain she was carrying a boy. So if Paige were to have a daugh
Chris looked undeniably handsome in the outfit he was in. Every time he changed into a new set of clothes, adopting a different style, he became even more striking. Chris was truly a blessing to those who appreciated good looks.He glanced at Paige. Although she had not said a word, her sparkling eyes said it all. She was admiring him again. As a career-oriented executive, Chris did not particularly care about his appearance. It was just a shell, after all. However, seeing this young girl admiring him made him inexplicably happy."Honey, let's go," Paige said."Sure." Chris nodded.They stepped out together. As they descended the stairs, they noticed Tina sitting on the living room sofa.Tina observed the two. A contrasting pair—one light, one dark. The girl was cute and lively, while the man exuded stability and reserve. They seemed perfectly matched."Chris, Paige, I suddenly feel like getting an amulet, too. Can I join you guys?" Tina said with a smile.Paige looked at
Paige eagerly strolled towards the locks. The heart-shaped locks were a spectacular sight, probably numbering in the thousands.Locks varied in size. Paige speculated that larger locks were more expensive. The folks from the church likely told buyers, "The bigger the lock, the tighter it seals fate."Paige took her time to observe the engraved names on the intricate locks. Church members offered a service to inscribe the locks for those who purchased them. Typically, two names were etched, accompanied by phrases like "Everlasting Love" or "Growing Old Together."As Paige examined the locks, she noticed some were open. "Does unlocking mean their destiny has ended?" Paige wondered aloud, not expecting Chris to answer. It was just a casual remark.Chris calmly replied, "Then have the locksmith come and unlock all these heart-shaped locks.""Wait, why would you do that?" Paige asked, genuinely shocked."Breaking up one pair makes another, doesn't it?" Chris said."Please don't
She originally wanted to call Chris over to take a photo together. However, she thought Chris would probably refuse and did not bother.Once Paige finished arranging things, she said to Chris, "Let's go."With the amulet of safety sought and the love locks secured, today had been a fulfilling and blissful day.Before they headed home, Chris glanced at Paige and approached the love lock. Then, he took out his phone, opened the camera, and took a picture of it.Paige blinked.What was he doing?After Chris took the photo, he posted it on his social media before saying to Paige, "Let's go."Paige was surprised again.She took out her phone and opened her social media. Sure enough, there was Chris's post. It was a picture of the love lock, with no additional captions.However, that was enough.Chris had soft-launched them on social media.They had been married for so long, but she had never seen Chris post on social media before.She used to think that maybe Chris had blocked
A seasoned locksmith with years of experience, it was the first time he had ever received such a request.Paige sent a picture of her love lock to the locksmith with the message, [The biggest, newest, best-looking love lock, that's the one.]The locksmith replied, [Alright.] After Paige paid for the service, the locksmith went to work.A little over an hour later, Paige received a message from the locksmith. He informed her that he had filled the lock with iron solution, completely sealing the keyhole. Now, no one could open the love lock unless they forcefully destroyed it.‘Iron solution?’ Paige was stunned. The man was truly professional.The locksmith even sent Paige some photos. Satisfied, Paige gave him a five-star rating on Yelp.The locksmith: [Is Chris your husband?]Paige: [Yes, what's the matter?]The locksmith: [Your husband seems a bit shady. While looking for your love lock, I saw another one with your husband's name on it.]Paige: [You misunderstood. That'
Chris stared at Paige. Once Paige and Sierra finished their conversation, Chris inquired, "Who's Justin?"Paige looked at Chris with surprise. "You don't know Justin?"Chris replied, "The name sounds familiar, but I can't recall who he is.""He's from the Lawsons, my grandmother's nephew," Paige explained.Chris nodded. "Oh.""Sierra hates him?" Chris asked.Paige hesitated for a moment. Then, she pursed her lips and said, "Well, you see, our family only has my sister and me, no sons. Grandma was worried the Quirk family's assets would become our dowry and eventually end up with someone else. So, she thought about matching my sister with Justin. If they marry, Quirk Enterprise becomes the Lawsons'. Grandma has always liked Justin."Chris had no idea about this. He was not particularly concerned about the Quirks, nor had they shared much with him. Perhaps they found it embarrassing."They can't get married, right?" Chris questioned.Paige nodded. "According to current marriag
Paige stepped into the bathroom, gazing at herself in the mirror. She did not look too bad. Even with slightly red and watery eyes, it added a touch of vulnerability, making her quite appealing.Why did Chris insist she wash her face?Although Paige did not understand, she obediently splashed water on her face.Chris, holding his phone, gave orders to the casino staff.Originally, the plan was to give Justin a small punishment and teach him a lesson. However, now that Chris knew what Justin did to Paige when she was young, he wanted to do more than just punish him. He wished he could make Justin pay for his actions.Then again, killing Justin would be too easy for him. Sometimes, living was a more profound punishment than death.…After resting at home for two days, Paige returned to school.Upon arrival, Paige noticed the curious gazes directed her way. Marrying Chris after replacing her sister had already made her a subject of gossip. Now, the online buzz about her gr
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