It was a shame that Ann’s plan had gone out the window. … That afternoon, Paige went to class and then enjoyed a nice break at Paulownia when she received a call from Wendy. “Mom.” “Come home for dinner. We need to talk,” Wendy said aloofly. Paige responded, “Okay.” Wendy hung up. Paige sighed. She wondered why her mother was looking for her now. Wendy was not fond of Paige. Her marriage to Chris did not earn Paige any favors with her mother either. Wendy believed Paige had stolen Sierra’s fiancé. To think that Wendy attended the wedding too. Wendy could have jumped out and stopped Paige from supposedly stealing Sierra’s fiancé. However, all Wendy did was stop Chris from leaving. The Quirks’ other family members suggested Paige took Sierra’s place in marrying Chris. Having done nothing to stop it, it seemed as if Wendy and Bob approved the idea. So, Paige did not resist for the sake of the Quirks. Still, she hated Paige for it. It was clear who the unreaso
Paige studied Chris’ face, checking for his reaction. Chris looked back at Paige. “Ha…” Chris chuckled. “Are you trying to trap me with a baby?” Paige blushed. “No, I’m not.” That thought had never crossed her mind. Her parents had that thought, though. “You aren’t?” Chris asked with a raised brow. Despite her embarrassment, she gave a firm nod to show her determination. “I won’t do that to you.” “What are your thoughts then?” Chris asked. He never seemed to know what was going through her mind. Paige was speechless. What were her thoughts? Her thoughts were unimportant. It was not as if Chris would respect them if she were to tell him. At least, she did not think so. “I just want to be a good wife to you,” Paige said. Chris had mentioned that he only expected her to be a good and docile wife. “No kids?” Chris asked. Paige was speechless. She stared at Chris, unable to hide the blush on her cheeks. The question was out of nowhere. “You said we’d wa
“I don’t know.” Paige blinked and said, “But I’ve seen Sierra’s sad cries. I guess Sierra and James aren’t doing too well. She wouldn’t be crying if she’s happy with James.” Chris curled his lips aloofly without a word. Paige was on pins and needles. She decided not to sound Chris out ever again. She believed her earlier probing could get her in trouble. Paige was silly to think she could pick his brain. “I’m taking a shower,” Paige said. “Okay.” Chris nodded. “Get yourself nice and clean.” Paige had no words. She blushed and staggered on her feet before glancing at Chris. What did he say? What an animal! His mind was constantly in the gutter. … Sierra dolled herself up and went out for a date with James. She stepped out the door and saw Randall in the neighborhood. “Randy,” Sierra said hello with a smile. “Hello.” Randall nodded his head. “You should’ve been back earlier. You just missed Paige,” Sierra said with a smile. Sierra knew a long time ago that R
During Paige’s saddest moments, Sierra played the good guy and comforted her. In return, Paige became reliant on her and trusted her. Since Sierra did not harm Paige, Randall did not expose Sierra. Paige cared a lot about Sierra, so the last thing he wanted to do was expose Sierra and hurt Paige instead. To Paige, Sierra was the only person in the family who was kind and affectionate toward her. If Paige knew it was all an act, she would be devastated. Randall did not want to see Paige sad. Sierra was not trying to make small talk with Randall when she talked about Paige’s feelings. She wanted to convey the message to Randall. Sierra wanted Randall to know that Paige liked Randall and tell him that Chris had an excellent first love. The message was to let him know Paige had it rough living with the Jewells. Randall scoffed. He would let Sierra have her way. Randall had every intention to carry out Sierra’s plan. After all, he shared the same goal as Sierra. They wante
If Shelly had expressed her feelings to Chris, it probably happened when Paige was drunk.She had no memory of what happened, but she recalled someone calling Chris’ name. “What did Chris say?” Curious, Paige asked Tanya. Tanya and Kyle were shocked. The question caught them off guard. Paige should not be asking them about Chris’ response. She should be storming off to Shelly to question her. Shelly attended tonight’s event as the belle of the ball. “I don’t know,” Tanya said curtly. Paige replied, “Oh.” Tanya did not know what to say. She read disappointment in Paige’s tone. “You should ask Chris if you want to know what he said,” Tanya uttered. Paige nodded. “I should get going.” She then walked off. Tanya and Kyle were at a loss for words. They stared at Paige’s back with furrowed brows. It was hard to read Paige’s attitude. They wondered if the minds of the young were all strange and hard to understand. … Paige returned to the indoor venue. Truth
With Shelly staring at Paige in silence, Paige asked, “What’s the matter?” “Nothing,” Shelly said.She could not understand. Shelly had interacted with Sierra many times, so she knew Sierra's game. Sierra played weak to make men feel powerful, but Shelly saw through her. Paige, on the other hand… It did not matter what Shelly said. Paige was always unfazed and calm in response. Was Paige playing dumb or oblivious to what she said? Shelly wondered if she should be blunt. Maybe she should be direct and say, “I’m your husband’s first love. I still love him and want to take him away from you.” Paige looked at Shelly, reflected a bit, and then said, “You and Chris belong to the past. You’re a beautiful woman. You will meet a better man than Chris.” Shelly looked at Paige and smirked to herself. Here she thought Paige was innocent. It turned out that she had been playing dumb all along. Ha. In other words, Paige was telling her to stay away from Chris. However, Paige had
Paige was indeed smart.The audience found it reasonable as well. Chris saw Paige and suddenly laughed. Then, he nodded at her. Paige saw his nod and wondered what it meant. Shelly saw the interaction between Chris and Paige, and her feelings plunged into the abyss. Chris simply ignored her! She was wretched. Yet, Chris did not offer a word of comfort or even spare her a concerned glance. His eyes were glued to Paige and Paige only. He even spoke on her behalf. Shelly hugged herself tightly. She felt cold. Ann frowned and looked at Chris. “Are you really taking her side?” Chris replied calmly, “She’s my wife. Whose side would I take if not hers? Shelly?” He glared at Shelly and said, “Who is she to me? Why must I take her side?” Shelly teared up instantly as she looked at Chris. She never thought Chris would be so merciless. How could he? She was his first love, the most unforgettable first love! Yet, he sided with Paige in front of everyone. Shelly had t
Finally, she had soothed the beast. The car cruised steadily on the freeway. After a moment of silence, Paige asked, “Chris, if I really pushed Shelly into the water, what would you do?” “If you pushed her, just pull her back up,” Chris said. What kind of answer was that? “Wouldn’t I look vicious?” Paige asked. The crowd did not say anything when it happened. However, before knowing the truth and with Shelly’s claims, they must assume she was a vicious woman. Chris glanced at her but did not say a word. What did that mean? Why the glance instead of just speaking his mind? They were not so close that she could understand him at a glance. She did not know what it meant. Paige shut her mouth. She could never have a comfortable conversation with Chris. She took her phone out to talk to her friends. Paige: [Girls, I was framed today!]Casey: [What happened?]Jessica: [Did they cheat your money or hurt you?]Paige: [I was hurt! I went to an event with Chris today,
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