He thought she belonged to Chris and held leverage over Chris, so he deliberately approached her and tried to charm her into handing over the leverage she had over Chris!Upon reflection, Niel had mentioned several times about wanting to get his hands on any dirt on Chris. It was she who did not think much of it, and now, it seemed like Niel wanted her to hand over the leverage to him voluntarily.At that moment, Ava wanted to take a good look in the mirror and see if she was that much like a tool.If not, why did everyone treat her like a tool?First, it was Randall, and now it was Niel.In her life, the only men she had truly loved were Randall and Niel. However, two men did not love her; they only saw her as a tool.Was she destined to never experience real love? Was she only worthy of being a tool?Ava looked at Niel.If she said she was not Chris' pawn and did not have leverage over Chris, what would Niel do?He would probably get angry and refuse to believe her, but most
She could take some photos and videos of them or secretly record what Niel said during their conversations.It was just too easy."Niel, let's work together," Ava said with a smile."Sure, let's work together," Niel replied, though there was no smile on his face.However, Ava could not see it, and likewise, Niel could not see the look of Ava scheming behind his back.Two people embraced yet harbored ulterior motives against each other.… Paige had been restless for the past few days and knew exactly what was bothering her.Her due date was just a few days away, and she was afraid.Even though she knew Chris had made all the necessary preparations and knew that most women had to go through childbirth, she could not help but feel scared.She had heard that giving birth to a child was very painful, but she did not know what kind of pain it was, only that it was excruciating.Although she might have experienced mental pain throughout her life, she had never experienced physical
The medical staff remained by Paige's bedside, constantly monitoring her condition.According to them, Paige was only two centimeters dilated, so it was still early for delivery.Paige felt hopeless.Why was it still early when she was already in so much pain? How much longer until it was time? How much longer did she have to endure the pain?Could she be so unlucky to endure the pain in labor for days and nights, like some mothers did? "What about a cesarean section?" Chris asked Paige.Paige gritted her teeth and said, "I'll endure a little longer.""I'm afraid if you endure a little longer and then can't handle it, we'll end up with a cesarean section, and all this pain will be for nothing," Chris commented. Paige glared at him.Although what he said was infuriating, it made sense.She had seen many similar cases on Reddit. They all knew that natural birth was better for both the mother and the child, so they endured the pain. However, it became unbearable in the end, an
"This is outrageous!" Paige exclaimed angrily. "These netizens don't even know the truth of the matter. How can they say such things?"Chris looked at the infuriated Paige, wondering if her attention had been diverted and the pain in her belly was gone. "Luna, in my opinion, Pierre planned this whole thing. Just look at it. Pierre didn't contact you for ages, and the moment he did, it was late at night when he was drunk, and he asked you to pick him up. Then, he got someone to take photos and videos of you both. This is all part of his plan!" Paige said, fuming.How did Pierre, that scumbag, change so much?She initially thought Pierre was decent, but now, she took it back.Did being with Shelly turn him bad?Luna was feeling down. How should she put it? Although she had no feelings for Pierre anymore, deep down, she still considered Pierre a friend. She thought she and Pierre could get along like normal friends, but everything Pierre did to her was part of his scheme.She was
She looked at her baby, and the more she looked, the more beautiful he seemed. Her little darling, even if wrinkled and red, looked better than any other child.There was a slight sting during the suturing. To distract Paige, the doctor kept talking about how good Chris was to her, how he had arranged things in advance, and so on.Paige listened happily. She, too, enjoyed hearing nice things.When the nurse tried to take the baby away, Paige stopped her, saying, "The baby will leave with me later."What if the nurse was bribed by someone with malicious intent to swap her child? Although the possibility was small, it was better to be safe than sorry.Anything bizarre could happen in such situations.She had been wary of Niel all along. Tina had warned her that Niel might act during her delivery, but so far, Niel seemed quiet. That made her a little nervous and afraid that Niel might switch her child.Thus, from the moment the child was born, she kept her eyes on him, not letting
"Okay." Chris nodded nonchalantly.He did not quite believe that blob of flesh could grow up to be like him.Paige could sense Chris' indifference, and it made her angry. She looked at the blob of flesh in the baby cot, thinking, ‘Baby, my darling baby, you must do well. You must grow up better-looking than your dad and give him a slap in his face. Otherwise, your dad will blame me again."As Ann and Luna hovered around the baby after the others had left, Paige slowly fell asleep on the bed. Giving birth was exhausting.Seeing Paige asleep and the baby too, Ann and Luna left quietly, so as not to disturb Paige's rest.Only Chris remained.… When Paige woke up, it was already two hours later.Opening her eyes, she saw Chris sitting by the baby cot, looking at the baby.The little one was awake as well. As his eyes were still undeveloped and lacking focus, he just looked around randomly.At the sight of the adult seemingly staring at the baby and the baby staring elsewhere,
Paige nestled gently into Chris's arms.With the two of them staying close and not speaking, the atmosphere in the room was serene and nice. “Does it hurt?” Chris asked Paige softly after a long while.Paige hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, it hurts."After asking if childbirth hurt, Chris fell silent again and held Paige close.Paige thought for a moment before saying, "But… looking back now, it doesn't seem so painful."Back then, it felt like agony, but now, it did not seem that painful anymore.Chris said, "People say the pain fades with time, but your scar hasn't healed yet, and you've forgotten the pain?"While Paige pondered on that statement, she suddenly looked up at Chris and asked, "Are you saying you don't want us to have more children because you're afraid I'll suffer?"Chris looked at her and asked, "Aren't you suffering?"Paige looked at Chris in surprise, never expecting that Chris had decided not to have more children because he was afraid she
Niel's mood was terrible.Paige had given birth safely to a chubby, healthy little boy, whom Niel had seen.Now that Chris had a son, Niel could see how happy Zander was.With the birth of the child, it seemed as though Zander's life had been rejuvenated.Zander loved this child very much and had high hopes for him all because the child was a boy.If Niel had a son, Zander would have high hopes for him too. However, he did not have a son. Up to now, he only had Mia, a daughter.He had tried many methods, but none had worked. His initial thought was to bribe doctors and nurses to tamper with things during the delivery process, which could lead to Paige's demise.However, those people could not be bribed, and he could not openly intervene. If things went wrong, he would face imprisonment. Chris was already struggling to find leverage against him, and he would not be foolish enough to hand it to Chris on a silver platter.Chris definitely knew Niel intended to intervene during P
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