Despite his stern appearance, he always had a penchant for making off-color jokes. Did he not realize that as a big shot, cracking inappropriate jokes could damage his image?"Look... I've invested so much in you emotionally, financially, and physically. However, you're not concerned about my feelings or my body but only interested in the money." Chris looked at Paige with a disappointed expression, shaking his head."Sigh…” He then took another long sigh. “I've made a mistake after all.”Paige was left speechless by his words. "I wasn’t thinking about your money," she defended herself."Then why did you immediately think about taking photos, shooting videos, and filing for divorce to split our assets?" Chris questioned."It’s about fighting for my legal rights and interests," Paige explained."Why only think about splitting money and not our bodies?" Chris retorted.Paige froze and looked at Chris in surprise. "Bodies need to be split too? How do we do that?"She dared n
With a disdainful glance, James looked at Sierra as if she were a woman of loose morals. Sierra's complexion turned even paler, watching James."James..."James said coldly, "I'll go check on Nina first."After he left, Sierra's expression changed. The sadness on her face transformed into mockery and disdain.‘Well...‘Go ahead and check on her.‘Seeing but not being able to possess is the most painful.’If only Chris were not Paige's husband. Then, she would find every way possible to help Nina, ensuring that Nina got Chris. After that, she could thoroughly enjoy James' pain and despair.Sierra took off her bridal makeup and drew herself a bath. Regardless of how the Burts felt, she was happy. She had successfully married James, which was just the first step.After her bath, Sierra changed into comfortable loungewear and went to see Nina. Since James was already caring for his sister, if she did not do the same, it would create a bad impression on Russell and Maria. They
Not to mention that they were not even biological siblings. Maria could not help but notice something off between them. Yet, she wondered if she might be reading too much into it. After all, James and Nina had not done anything out of the ordinary all these years.Considering James was now married and Nina had feelings for Chris, Maria tried convincing herself that it was just a moment of comfort between siblings. However, their intimacy, especially at their age, felt abnormal.Watching them, Maria reasoned it might be Nina's sadness that prompted James to console her. Although they had a good relationship, they had always maintained boundaries. It must be Maria's imagination running wild."James... thank you," Nina said, leaning gently on James.James smiled warmly. "Silly girl, no need to thank me. We're family, the closest people in the world."Nina nodded lightly in James's embrace. “Mm."Just then, a knock on the door interrupted the scene. Maria opened the door to find Si
Sierra: [Paige, are you asleep?]Paige: [Not yet.]Sierra: [Oh.]Paige: [What’s up?]Sierra: [Nina might know about James' feelings for her.]Paige: [...Huh?]Sierra: [I suspect Nina has been stringing James along.]Paige: [Isn't Nina into my husband?]Sierra: [So what if she likes Chris? Can't she have a few backups? Nina is looking out for herself, too. If she can't get Chris in the end, what's she going to do? Live a lonely life?]Sierra: [Look at Shelly, for instance. She has loved Chris for so many years, passionately pursuing him. She even went as far as breaking the law to get Chris. However, that didn’t stop her from keeping backup plans for herself. Isn't Pierre her backup? Look, even though Shelly has lost everything now, she still has Pierre and is pregnant with his child. Though it might seem like Shelly is a pitiful woman who lost everything, once she gives birth to the child of the Alfonsos, serves her time, and gains forgiveness using the child, she'll become th
Paige said, "The world is vast, and many other men. If you don't wait for me, there will be other men waiting for me. It's impossible to say I won't have anyone waiting for me for the rest of my life."Chris looked at Paige, silent.As soon as Chris did not speak, Paige’s heart became uneasy.Why was Chris not saying anything? Perhaps Chris was angry. Why, though? Was everything not fine just now?"Is there someone waiting for you?" Chris finally spoke amidst Paige's various anxieties."In the future, if we're not together, there surely will be."She was such a lively, gentle, and adorable woman. It was only normal that men would wait for her, right?Chris raised an eyebrow. "Are you so sure?"“Sure about what?"Chris said, "That men will wait for you.""Can't that be certain? Although I'm not a great beauty, I'm still a lively, gentle, and cute. Isn’t it normal for men to wait for me?""Not with me, you’re not. Do you think you're still a young girl and that men will wait
Mocking his own wife? Pfft! What a jerk. Perhaps one of the worst guys on the face of the Earth.Paige glanced at Chris, handing him the glass of water. "I'm going to bed."Chris chuckled. "Sleep tight."After a tiring day full of events, it was indeed time for bed.…The next day, Bob called Paige.She felt annoyed, knowing exactly why Bob was calling.While she did not want to pick up, ignoring Bob meant he would persist and might even show up at the Jewells'.So, reluctantly, Paige answered. "Hello...""Paige, are you busy?" Bob asked gently."Not particularly. What's up?" Paige replied."Paige, if you're free, can you come home? Dad has something to talk to you about," Bob requested.Paige casually said, "Just say it over the phone. I'm pregnant. It’s not convenient for me to move around with a big belly."Bob hesitated.Just yesterday, Paige attended Sierra's wedding. Today, she claimed it was inconvenient to move. Bob knew Paige was blaming him, unwilling to com
Bob was at a loss for words.Paige had made her point clear with that long string of words.She was uninterested in what the Quirks had to offer and would not take anything from the Quirks."Paige, no matter what, this is a little gesture from me to you. I know I’ve neglected you in the past, but I genuinely want to make it up to you now. Won't you give me even a chance?" Bob asked, his heart aching.Paige replied, "No need. You haven't wronged me."After all, it did not matter anymore."Paige..."Bob was not ready to give up.Paige suddenly felt irritated. Bob was going too far, doing things so excessively. Did he think she was oblivious, trying to deceive her like she was a fool?She had not spelled it out, hoping to save Bob a shred of dignity. However, now, it seemed utterly unnecessary.Someone like Bob was not worth preserving any dignity for."Do you really want me to spell it out? You want to give me Quirk Enterprise shares now, just to use me to get Chris to help Qu
Paige blinked and said, "Can I do the same to you?"Chris shook his head. "It might not work for me.""Why not?" Paige asked, puzzled. "Didn't you just say that from now on, no matter who it is, I should be tough? Doesn't that include you?"Chris asked Paige, "What gives you the confidence to stand up to others, to Bob, for example?"Paige hesitated.Her confidence, of course."My confidence comes from the strength within me," Paige replied.Chris smirked. "No, your confidence comes from me. It’s because I'm there to support you. No matter what you do, I'll clean up after you, support you, and help you. That's why you're so confident."Paige frowned. "That's not true."Chris continued, "When you can confront others, I can support you. However, if you confront me, I can't help you fight against myself. I'm not that foolish.""I told you. My confidence comes from the strength within me!" Paige insisted.In the past, she cared too much, which was why she did not break ties with
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