“But I spent hours fussing and prepping and greasing and all this heart and soul to make this dinner for you! You two can’t seriously do this to me,” Jeanette protested sadly.Damon could never bring himself to see her in that dejected, have-I-done-wrong look—every time she made that face, he felt the softest part in his heart vetoing any other opinions. Felix, too, bore a look of guilt as he raced to comfort his mother. “M-M-Mommy, don’t feel bad! I, uh, I’m not gonna eat out anymore! No matte
Jeanette broke out a jaunty giggle, clearly jubilant to hear his praise. “I knew you’d love it! Well, there’s plenty more from where that came from!” she exclaimed, dropping another slice into his plate.Damon steeled himself, put the rest of his fill into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed. An ecstatic Jeanette stood by and added other dishes into his plate like a nonstop onslaught. “Here, how about some salmon? I know you love fish, and this one is fresh as hell. The fisherman in the mark
Helpless, Damon narrowed his eyes at Felix.“Hmm? Is there something wrong with your eyes? Are you feeling unwell?” Jeanette caught the grimace he made and became suspicious.Damon shook his head immediately. “No! It’s just, uh, gosh! This bowl of mashed potatoes might as well be food from heaven! I’m just so touched, Jeanette, that you’re making all these things for me! I’m so happy…”Internally, he thought of sobbing in amusement. This had got to be one of the most agonizing dinners he ever
Felix, startled, groaned inwardly.“Are you done already, Fe? You could always have more,” she added encouragingly.Felix shook his head with haste. “Oh, I’m sooooo full, Mom! You’re sooooo good at cooking that I ate too much and now I’m very, very full! I’ll burst if I eat more!” he cried before bolting out of the house and fleeing to the sanctuary of the garden.Jeanette shook her head helplessly, chuckling at the little boy’s fast-retreating back. “Gosh, he’s a playful little rascal, isn’t
“What’s wrong? Your injury is acting up, isn’t it?” Elias cried, a little alarmed.He chopped the apple into small pieces and reached out to feed Mimi himself. It was too intimate to her, so she turned away and avoided him.A few days had passed since the surgery, and her injury was already well in its course to recovery. The doctor had expressed surprise and shock at how swimming the process was, as it implied none to very few side-effects that could plague her future. Anyone else in her posi
She loathed the ambiguity. It felt like manipulation.“No, that’s not it,” he said suddenly. But what? Elias did not know. He did not even know what was happening to him. It hurt him to see her in such a feeble, vulnerable, painful state, but he had a feeling it was not a pang of sympathy. Guilt even less so.Mimi frowned. “Oh yeah? Then tell me what it is, Elias. Cut it out with the ambiguity already, man, you’re tormenting me. This sucks! It hurts! I'd rather you reject me outright than this
“Were you really that worried about me?” Mimi asked.Elias nodded. “Honestly, I was just as surprised. I have never panicked over someone like that, and for a long time, Jeanette was the only exception.”Mimi could feel her heart moved, but she was unsure of what it meant. A strange, unidentifiable emotion was filling her chest as she listened.“When I got to the motel and saw those men bullying you, I… I was livid. I felt like killing them right there and then. I wanted to throw myself at th
“I’ve loved you for years, Elias. Like a goddamned idiot! I tended the flames feeding into… this stupid love that will never be reciprocated! And now you think it’s okay to torment me more?”Her tears finally freed themselves.“You can’t keep being so selfish, Elias! I don’t want you to hurt me anymore. You don’t have to care about how I feel. You don’t have to worry if you’re hurting me, and you don’t need to think that my recovery is going to fall apart just because you aren’t watching me. T
…In jail, Xavier stared at Jeanette’s 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.“How’ve you been?”Xavier smirked. “Since 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.”Jeanette 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 media’s 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 wasn’t sure if she was ready to spend the rest of her life with Zeke.Zeke seemed to be in a good mood. He had
“Damon Godfrey! It was you, wasn’t it? How could you do this to me?” 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 Xavier’s face before. She paused in fright as she stared at Xavier from afar.Damon seemed perfectly calm. “You brought this on yourself, Xavier. I know what you’ve done. It’s just that I neve
“You’re overthinking it!” Elias slapped her hand away.Vanessa laughed bitterly. “Oh, I wish I was, Elias. But the facts prove that you’re in love with Mimi Norton. You’re in love with your best friend’s fiancee!”“That has nothing to do with you!” 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.“Nothing 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. “You don’t believe me? Then come with me.”Jeanette smacked his hand away, looking very stern. “What are you planning? I’m not leaving with you.”Felix 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.“Daddy!” The little boy smiled and happily rushed to wrap his arms around Damon’s waist. “Daddy, are you here to take Mommy and me home?”Damon smiled and gazed at his clever son, a god-send, and spoke in a gentle voice. “Of course. Would you like to come home with Daddy?”“Yes!” The little boy’s voice was clear. Then, he carefully turned to Jeanette. “Mommy…”Jeanette 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 couldn’t go home with Damon like this.
Jeanette was standing in the kitchen, staring dazedly at the pot of burnt potatoes, looking exasperated.‘I’m such an idiot! I’ve actually managed to burn potatoes… by boiling them. This is completely unheard of! It’s 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 Felix’s dinner was in that pot. All of the water had actually evaporated!’Jeanette 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.“Mommy
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.‘Get engaged…’These 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 period… She couldn’t bring herself to accept it. After all, she and Zeke had only been dating for a very short time. Unfortunately, Vanessa’s 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
“Father, even if he is my brother, he should be responsible for his crimes. We live in a civilized society. Besides, he’s worked with an outsider in a plot against our company. You know this. The company wouldn’t have been reduced to this mess if it weren’t for him. Father, your constant shelter and indulgence has caused him to make so many mistakes! If you continue spoiling Xavier, he’ll resort to something even more terrifying in the future,” Damon said with a frown.Christophe smirked in his rage. “Damon, has your search for power driven you mad? How could you be so cruel to your own brother? It’s not like you’re unaware of why I’ve been so indulgent toward him. Xavier has never been of sound mind from a young age. Are you worried that I’d leave the Godfrey Group to him? That he would take everything that belongs to you?”Damon was taken aback. He chuckled bitterly and exasperatedly. “Father, do you really think that that’s 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. “What did you say to her?”Vanessa pursed her lips, looking particularly relaxed. “I told her to get engaged with Zeke within a week.”The 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. “I 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?”Vanessa shrugged, looking unperturbed. “Why would I want to ruin her?”“I thought you hated her? Don’t tell me you’re going soft!”The 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