Since those strangers broke into Leighton Inc. during working hours in broad daylight, it was impossible not to notice them.However, all the company employees who saw them thought it was Jeanette's plan, so no one dared to speak up.Magnus was so angry that he started cursing, but the bodyguards treated him respectfully and politely âaskedâ him to leave the building."Jeanette, Mr. Leighton, and Miss Holden just got taken away!" Lucia quickly ran into Jeanette's office."Taken away? What's
âWhy are you smiling?ââWell, youâve been busy with work ever since your mother passed away that I wonder if youâve turned into an emotionless robot. You were frigid even to your fatherâĶ I had been worried that you might have gotten so obsessed by grief and pain that youâd never recover.ââIâĶ Urgh, whatâs this gotta do with Grace?ââItâs proof that your heart is still as kind as ever, Jeanette. Youâre not as cold as you lookâĶ And not as strong as you desperately try to portray.âJeanette fel
Felix sent a signal for help through a look at his father and murmured meekly, âUm, Dad?âDamon crossed the room and demanded stoically, âWhy are you here?ââYouâve got skills, Mr. Godfrey. Sending your thugs to confine me within the hospital while murdering my son before he was even born?â he replied back in kind. âRemember what youâve done. Because I will, and Iâll bring it back in the future.ââGood. You know itâs all me. No need to take your ire out on the innocent.âMagnus sneered. He h
Jeanette woke up to a shot of sharp, acute pain stinging the back of her head. She could sense a swollen lump through the ache.She snapped her eyes open to the looming face of a stranger. In panicked confusion, she screamed, âWho the hell are you!? Get the f*ck away from me!âHer stomach churned. Bouts of nausea washed over her while her bile threatened to escape.The man widened his mouth into a lopsided grin. âMorninâ, beautifulâĶ Youâre up early!â he exclaimed, drawing his stubble-covered
She lurched suddenly and tugged on his sleeves. âD-Donât!âJeanetteâs shirt was already a disheveled mess, while the bathrobe was only good enough to cover her privacy. The act of extending her hand caused Eliasâ coat to slip, and suddenly, her snow-fair shoulders and arms were bare.Elias turned red and looked away.âDonât go to the hospital.â Jeanette breathed, almost begging. âI donât want anyone to know.ââFine, but you have to tell me what happened, okay?â Elias said. Feeling more and m
Just when Damon felt his last bastion of sanity was about to crumble, Jeanette finally returned. After a day and a night of being missing, Elias sent her back to the Godfrey mansion.She came back in a new set of clothes, fresh and washed-up. The only things that could give her traumatic experience away were the obvious blue-black marks on her arm and her forehead. She looked fine otherwise.âMommy!â Felix cried out in tears, lurching and throwing his arms around her.Jeanetteâs expression se
He reached out and patted her shoulder.She did not react.âAsleep already, Jeanette?ââMm.âThat answer alone was enough. She was awake, but she was reluctant to talk.Damon let out a quietâalmost imperceptibleâsigh and sat in silence at the edge of the bed.She had laid down there for the whole day. Felix was concerned, so he poked around their room to check in only to have his father shushed him away.Damon remembered how Jeanette had lied down like this without moving a muscle beforeâ
Two days later, Jeanette returned to work in Leighton Inc. on time.Damonâs initial intuition was one of discouragementâhe still saw a frazzled psyche behind her pretense of normalcy and was reluctant to let her tire herself at work. It did not stop Jeanette from ordering her driver to send to work when the early morning broke.Damon had no choice but to let her do what she liked. He convinced himself that maybe mundane work could keep her grounded.Either way, Damon found his mind still wres
âĶIn jail, Xavier stared at Jeanetteâs face through a layer of glass. His expression was filled with hatred.Jeanette stared at him and took a deep breath. Then, she picked up the phone.âHowâve you been?âXavier smirked. âSince my own brother has decided to send me to jail, why has he asked you to come all the way here? To insult me? You really are a match made in heaven.âJeanette sighed. Actually, Xavier was a very smart man, on par with Damon. Besides, when she had first joined the Godf
In the car, Mimi turned to look at Zeke, who was next to her. For a moment there, she had no idea what to say to him.They had pretty much silently admitted to the mediaâs claims over their engagement. Over the past few days, Zeke had been making preparations for their engagement party. She had been the one to suggest getting married, but now she was beginning to feel cold feet. She wasnât sure if she was ready to spend the rest of her life with Zeke.Zeke seemed to be in a good mood. He had
âDamon Godfrey! It was you, wasnât it? How could you do this to me?â His expression was ruthless. His eyes were filled with a terrifying expression, unlike ever before. He looked like a wild animal that had been suppressing its urges for a very long time.Jeanette had never seen such a terrifying look on Xavierâs face before. She paused in fright as she stared at Xavier from afar.Damon seemed perfectly calm. âYou brought this on yourself, Xavier. I know what youâve done. Itâs just that I neve
âYouâre overthinking it!â Elias slapped her hand away.Vanessa laughed bitterly. âOh, I wish I was, Elias. But the facts prove that youâre in love with Mimi Norton. Youâre in love with your best friendâs fiancee!ââThat has nothing to do with you!â Elias was like a cat who had his tail trampled on. He was tense. He had grown increasingly annoyed now that the heart of the matter had been prodded at.âNothing to do with me? Elias, do you really think that I was only in love with your position?
Damon reached out and held her wrist. âYou donât believe me? Then come with me.âJeanette smacked his hand away, looking very stern. âWhat are you planning? Iâm not leaving with you.âFelix suddenly emerged from his room, holding a teddy bear, just as the pair were in the midst of conflict. He widened his large, limpid eyes and looked at Damon at the doorway. His expression filled with immense joy.âDaddy!â The little boy smiled and happily rushed to wrap his arms around Damonâs waist. âDaddy, are you here to take Mommy and me home?âDamon smiled and gazed at his clever son, a god-send, and spoke in a gentle voice. âOf course. Would you like to come home with Daddy?ââYes!â The little boyâs voice was clear. Then, he carefully turned to Jeanette. âMommyâĶâJeanette frowned. Her heart was a mess. Felix missed his home. He was such a small child and had been forced to endure the conflict between her and Damon. He must have suffered. However, she couldnât go home with Damon like this.
Jeanette was standing in the kitchen, staring dazedly at the pot of burnt potatoes, looking exasperated.âIâm such an idiot! Iâve actually managed to burn potatoesâĶ by boiling them. This is completely unheard of! Itâs all my fault for being so careless. I left the potatoes to boil and ran off to do something else. I was so busy that I completely forgot about them, until two minutes ago, when I smelled the burnt potatoes. Then I remembered that mine and Felixâs dinner was in that pot. All of the water had actually evaporated!âJeanette felt a massive headache as she stared at the blackened potatoes stuck to the pot. This was the only food they had at home. Now that the potatoes were ruined, she had no other choice except to take Felix out for food.She scratched her head in exasperation. Felix appeared from behind her, hugging the teddy bear she had just bought for him, and walked into the kitchen. He lifted his chubby, naively little face and stared pitifully up at Jeanette.âMommy
In a restaurant, the surrounding atmosphere was illuminated by a gentle, dim light, which made it all feel warm and comfortable. Mimi stared at Zeke, who was seated in front of her. She looked hesitant and nervous. She released two soft coughs, unable to say the words she wanted to say.âGet engagedâĶâThese words felt very distant to her. She did believe that Zeke was the kind of man she could spend the rest of her life with, but to prepare herself for marriage with him in such a short periodâĶ She couldnât bring herself to accept it. After all, she and Zeke had only been dating for a very short time. Unfortunately, Vanessaâs threat had rendered it impossible for her to avoid the subject. Upon careful consideration, it made sense. Since she was going to be with Zeke, why would the time of marriage make any difference?Perhaps it was time for her to truly accept this relationship and start a new life.She took a deep breath and looked at Zeke, who sat in front of her, then swallowe
âFather, even if he is my brother, he should be responsible for his crimes. We live in a civilized society. Besides, heâs worked with an outsider in a plot against our company. You know this. The company wouldnât have been reduced to this mess if it werenât for him. Father, your constant shelter and indulgence has caused him to make so many mistakes! If you continue spoiling Xavier, heâll resort to something even more terrifying in the future,â Damon said with a frown.Christophe smirked in his rage. âDamon, has your search for power driven you mad? How could you be so cruel to your own brother? Itâs not like youâre unaware of why Iâve been so indulgent toward him. Xavier has never been of sound mind from a young age. Are you worried that Iâd leave the Godfrey Group to him? That he would take everything that belongs to you?âDamon was taken aback. He chuckled bitterly and exasperatedly. âFather, do you really think that thatâs what I think? Would you really be bold enough to leave th
The car drove along the road. The driver, a woman, dressed in black wearing a baseball cap, slowly spoke. âWhat did you say to her?âVanessa pursed her lips, looking particularly relaxed. âI told her to get engaged with Zeke within a week.âThe sound of the car coming to a screeching halt filled the air. The car stopped in the middle of the road, just like that, forcing a row of cars behind them to stop as well. The driver widened her eyes. Her expression was full of rage. âI thought we agreed to expose her affair with Elias? It was a great opportunity for us to ruin her, and you just gave it up?âVanessa shrugged, looking unperturbed. âWhy would I want to ruin her?ââI thought you hated her? Donât tell me youâre going soft!âThe woman frowned. Her expression was filled with anger as if she resented her for not doing any better.She had been planning for so long, coming up with all sorts of schemes to find someone who hated Mimi just as much as she did. However, who would have th