Ava fell silent. What exactly constituted a serious mistake that had to do with him as a person? As a man, that usually meant infidelity.However, Chris seemed genuinely devoted to Paige. Even when approached, he remained unmoved. Working as the receptionist in the Jewell Group, Ava was privy to various office gossip about women attempting to seduce Chris, but he never succumbed.Could a man like him cheat on his wife?Ava looked at Niel with sudden surprise. Was he telling her all that with intentions similar to Randall's — to manipulate her into seducing Chris?Moreover, why her? Was it because of her resemblance to Paige?Ava's heart raced with nervousness and fear. Was Niel getting close to her for some ulterior motive to use her? Why were all the men she met like that, never truly loving her but seeking to exploit her? Was she nothing more than a tool?Did she look like a tool simply because she resembled Paige? If both looked alike, why was she the tool and not Paige?
Niel gave her a different vibe. He was a gentleman who was kind, gentle, and attentive on the surface, yet he could be surprisingly rough when it came to certain matters.Nevertheless, it felt oddly right.A man should be gentle when needed and assertive when required. That was the mark of a true man."Do you blame me?" Niel asked softly and then planted a gentle kiss on Ava's forehead.Ava looked up at Niel in confusion.Niel continued, "Do you blame me for not being able to promise you anything right now yet still getting involved with you? What if… What if I can't give you a definite outcome in the future?"Ava smiled and shook her head. "I don’t blame you."She had considered the possibility that she and Niel might not have a future. Although Niel mentioned the chance of divorcing Tina and marrying her one day, she understood the complications tied to their marriage of convenience. Divorcing Tina meant cutting off the business interests, which was not a simple feat.How
Niel nodded, and as he glanced at Paige in the distance, he asked, “Tina, what were you talking about with Paige?"Tina chuckled. "You didn't come home last night, so Paige was trying to get some information from me."Niel frowned. Living together was not ideal because anything he did became common knowledge among the Jewells."How did you handle it?" Niel asked Tina.Tina smiled and replied, "I told her you had some social engagements and got a bit drunk."Niel nodded. Regardless of whether others believed it, that was the story they had to go with.Back in their room, Niel asked Tina, "Are you upset I didn't come home last night?"Tina gently shook her head with a smile. "No. I know what my husband is up to. I understand that everything you do is for me and our family."Niel nodded and embraced Tina. He said tenderly, "Tina, you have to believe that my heart belongs to you. Everything I do is for our family."Tina nodded. "I know."Niel, holding Tina, felt that Tina's gen
Chris glanced at Paige and raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "What? Are you finally self-aware? Feeling annoyed that you talk so much, you got lost in your thoughts?"Paige glared at Chris, feeling like the conversation was going nowhere.Did he not realize she was pregnant, in her final trimester at that, and he should be considerate of her emotions?Was he not afraid of making her angry?"Pregnant women tend to overthink." Paige said, "And I don’t just have random thoughts. They’re valid concerns. After all, it’s about my safety. If I don't think ahead for myself, who else will?""Don't I ever think about you?" Chris defended himself.Paige snorted. "If you really cared about me, you wouldn't have said those hurtful words earlier."“I just wanted you to worry less. Don't overthink; you’ll put too much pressure on yourself."Paige said, "I don't think I’m overthinking it. What if I forget to remind you and die on the operating table because Niel takes advantage? For example, wha
Chris was a great man who loved her dearly. As long as she and the child were happy, even if that happiness came from another man, he was content. Fine, Chris had outsmarted her again. He was a sly one. Why could not she ever deceive Chris? Angry, Paige fell silent. "Why aren’t you saying anything?" Chris chuckled. "I've given you my blessing to remarry. Aren't you happy?" Paige continued not to say a word.After all, what was there to say? No matter what, she could not outwit him. She was only angry with herself in the end.She never learned her lesson. Despite knowing she could not outsmart or outplay Chris, she did not give up. Every time it seemed like she was ready to engage in battle, she always came up short. Sigh… Life was tough. "Ugh… Your son kicked me... I'm going to lie down." Paige made an excuse and left, supporting her waist. Why stay there, waiting to be pinned down and rubbed against the ground? Chris watched Paige's back and chuckled. She was h
These days, Pierre felt like every day was torture. He knew it was torturous for Shelly, too. They used to be high and mighty, but now...Shelly was fine at home, not having to go to work and face anyone. However, he had to. Sometimes, when encountered with those who used to look down on him, he would be humiliated, mocked, ridiculed..."Honey, the Jewells don't just have Chris. They also have Niel." Shelly looked at Pierre seriously.She had been waiting for Niel to bring Chris down and ruin him. Since Shelly could not get Chris, she wanted to destroy him.However, not only did Niel fail to bring Chris down, but he also got himself kicked out of Jewell Group.Niel was truly useless.Pierre's heart stirred as he looked at Shelly.Shelly stared back at Pierre and said, "Honey, both of us were born to wealth and status. We shouldn't have to live like this and neither should our children. For ourselves and our children, we should take a gamble."Pierre asked, "And how should w
Niel frowned. Pierre said, "If Paige and the child were to have an accident, Chris' spirit would collapse. You know, to truly break a person, you have to shatter their spirit. Once a person loses that, they're just a walking corpse, unafraid of any threats."Niel agreed with this point. "So, what do you propose?" He asked Pierre. Pierre said, "Given our current situation, it's unlikely we can directly contact Paige and Chris. However… I can contact Luna."Niel paused. He almost forgot about Luna's deep connection with Pierre. "You're going to use Luna to deal with Paige?" Niel asked. Pierre nodded. "Yes."Niel curiously asked, "How do you plan to do that?" Pierre replied, "I have my ways, but you should also do what needs to be done."Niel looked at Pierre. "What should I do?" Pierre sighed. Did he really need to teach Niel this? No wonder Niel had not been able to do anything to Chris for so many years. With his mentality, he probably never would.If there were an
After paying the deposit, Luna strolled through the mall.As she wandered, she spotted someone familiar.She froze and was about to turn and leave when she noticed the other person had already spotted her.At that point, turning and leaving would seem impolite.Though she did not feel particularly obligated to be polite to Pierre, her upbringing prevented her from doing otherwise.Also, she still had some feelings for Pierre.Sure, Pierre had done a lot, hurting her deeply. However, when it came to matters of the heart, she could not control herself.She had loved Pierre for so many years, and a few short months were not enough time to completely let go.Human nature was like that. They wish the person who hurt them would disappear, never to be seen again. However, once the hurt subsided, they started to slowly remember the good times."Luna." Pierre smiled warmly as he approached Luna."Oh, hi." Luna smiled faintly and nodded in response.She noticed the shopping bag in Pie
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