Mildred was taken aback because Justin's voice sounded distressed. She asked anxiously, "Jay, what's wrong?""Grandaunt, I've been kidnapped," Justin cried. "Grandaunt, save me. I've been kidnapped."Justin did not dare mention his gambling losses, so instead, he focused on the kidnapping angle.Alarmed, Mildred raised her voice, "Kidnapped?"The boss walked over, snatched Mildred's phone, and declared, "Mrs. Quirk, your grandnephew isn’t kidnapped.""Who are you?" Mildred snapped. "Release Jay now, or I'll call the police.""Mrs. Quirk, feel free to call the police. After that, you'll receive a part of Justin's body. Which part do you like? I can cut it off and send it to you. I heard you prefer men. Shall I send you that part of his?" the boss said with a smirk.Mildred trembled with anger and said through gritted teeth, "You dare!"That would mean that the Lawsons’ future generations would be wiped out. "Mrs. Quirk, do you think I won't do as I say?" the boss retorted.Mi
Mildred's expression soured as she remarked, "I can accompany you for the property transfer, but your people need to rush Justin to the hospital to reattach the severed finger."A severed finger could still be reattached."Of course," the boss chuckled.The boss arranged for someone to take Justin and the severed finger to the hospital for reattachment, while he personally took Mildred to get the property transferred.…After completing the property transfer, Mildred hurriedly went to the hospital. Justin's surgery was successful, and if his recovery goes well, he can return to his normal life. Mildred, relieved, sternly said to Justin, "Justin, you can't engage in gambling anymore. When did you pick up such a bad habit?"Justin replied in a gentle tone, "Grandaunt Mildred, I've learned my lesson. I won't gamble anymore. It's just that during this period, I lost my job and broke up with my girlfriend. Feeling down, some friends took me to gamble. Before I knew it, I'd lost so
Paige didn't insist this time. The two recent incidents understandably caused concern for the family."No need," Chris calmly stated. "School isn't a dangerous place. The incidents have nothing to do with her schooling." Aware that Paige didn't want to take a break from her studies, Chris spoke on her behalf.Recognizing Paige might not express her desire directly to his mother, Chris took on the responsibility. Ann voiced her concern about Paige's well-being, especially regarding her lunch at school.Ann expressed concern, "But she doesn't eat well at school"Chris assured, "I've bought a house opposite the school and hired a chef to cook for her every day."Ann nodded after hearing Chris's arrangement. She reminded Paige, "Paige, you have to be extra cautious. You’re living life for two now."Paige's heart warmed, and she smiled at Ann, saying, "Mom, I know. Thank you for caring."Ann observed Paige. She felt that Paige was becoming more obedient. If it were Luna, she would
It was evident just how much Chris detested Nina.What could Nina have done to evoke such strong feelings from Chris? Paige refrained from asking. She felt that even if she did, Chris might not disclose the details. However, Chris volunteered the information."Nina... might potentially harm you," Chris said."Huh?" Paige looked at Chris, puzzled.Chris explained, "Previously, Nina suffered from depression... and attempted suicide in front of me."He summarized the situation with a single sentence, but in reality, the situation had been perilous and... awful. Even recalling it now made him feel a wave of disgust.Paige was shocked. "Ah?"Chris continued, "She attempted suicide to coerce me into being with her."Paige was left speechless.So, Nina did genuinely have feelings for Chris. It wasn't just her misunderstanding or imagination. That made the situation even more complicated. Paige couldn't help but feel that the relationships were getting increasingly tangled. Her si
Chris nodded. “That makes sense.”Paige felt proud.Chris then asked, "But... is one photo enough?" Paige looked at Chris, puzzled. She did not understand his point. Chris clarified, "I mean, other people post a series of photos in a grid." Paige hesitated for a moment before brightening up, suggesting, "Well, then let's do a grid too."Chris agreed. They couldn't have any less than others, not even one less grid.Paige excitedly opened her phone knowing that Chris was on board. She explored various effects and went on a frenzy of snapping photos. After the initial shots, Paige became more carefree, adding facial expressions like pouting, sticking out her tongue, and winking.As usual, Chris maintained a poker face. There were a few shots where he turned to watch Paige make various cute and funny expressions. Paige captured those moments too.Looking at the photos, Paige felt a sense of joy in their playful interaction. They didn't just focus on their faces—Paige also too
If Shelly truly loved Chris, she would have found ways to sabotage Chris and Paige with her intelligence and cunning wits. Instead, she helplessly witnessed their marriage.Therefore, Shelly must no longer love Chris.Nina snickered.Shelly's feelings for Chris were not as deep as she once portrayed. Back then, she pursued Chris with overwhelming expressions of love and undying devotion, appearing as if she wouldn't marry anyone but Chris.But now?It was nothing more than that.That means, she was the one who loved Chris the most. She developed depression because of Chris and over the years, the torment of depression made her feel like life wasn't worth living. Yet, even in this state, she still loved Chris deeply.Her love for Chris from the past to now had never changed, even after so many years. Though they hadn't seen each other for many years, her feelings for him remained the same.Nina was sure her love for Chris wouldn't fade away. On the contrary, it would deepen and
The reason he wasn't afraid to offend Chris wasn't because he had no fear—it was because he knew Chris wouldn't hold him accountable due to guilt toward Nina.Chris's remorse toward Nina allowed many things, such as her betrayal with James, to happen without repercussions. He didn’t take action against the Quirks, James, or the Burts.Despite lacking concrete evidence, Sierra believed her speculation was close to the truth.James didn't love her. He merely saw her as a tool for revenge against Chris. This explained his reluctance to marry her. How could the heir of the prestigious Burt family marry a tool used for retaliation?Sierra chuckled bitterly. How ruthless of James!Because of him, she lost a wonderful man. If James hadn't schemed to win her over, she would have been married to Chris by now and live as the enviable Mrs. Jewells."Sierra, what’s wrong?" Paige asked with concern. Her sister's expression seemed off, and there was a mocking coldness in her laughter.Wha
Sierra and Paige exchanged glances, both remaining silent for a moment. Paige chose not to speak while Sierra said with a smile, "Did your brother not tell you?"Nina shook her head, prompting Sierra to continue, "Well, after I got engaged to Chris, I got to know your brother. I developed feelings for him and Chris was willing to support our love. We agreed to let Paige take my place in the Jewell family's engagement with Chris. Conveniently, Chris also has a liking for Paige."Nina paused, absorbing the information. Was that the truth? Then, looking at Paige's belly, she understood everything. Regardless of the circumstances under which Paige married Chris, she was now the madam of the Jewells and carrying Chris's child."Oh, I see," Nina said, smiling. Sierra nodded in confirmation. She asked Nina, "Why did you suddenly think of asking about this?"Nina smiled and said, "I was just curious."Sierra chuckled and remained silent. Paige spoke, "Get some rest, Sierra. I'll b
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