"Ms. Shepherd, I'll end the call now if there's nothing else." With that, the caller hung up.The sound of the dial tone rang in her head. Nevertheless, Natalie remained frozen with the phone in her hand. She felt as though her heart had just plummeted from heaven to hell. Everything she had worked hard to protect had disappeared. Natalie snapped back to her senses when she heard the door opening. She had just realized she had slept in Henry's suite the night before. However, she was not in the mood to dwell on it. She quickly got out of bed and approached Henry, yelling, "Henry Chase, how could you be so despicable?"Right then, as she stared at his handsome face, she no longer felt the same attraction she once had. Natalie could not even understand why she had been blind in the first place. What did she love about him? His ruthlessness? His willingness to do anything just to achieve something? Or how despicable he was?Sometimes, all it took was one moment to be ultim
Since the construction team had torn down the house, there was no point in staying any longer. Natalie then headed back to Leslie's residence. Her relationship was beyond salvageable, and the house she wanted to protect was now in ruins. However, she needed to pull herself together. Natalie still had to prepare for the competition. At the very least, she had to live a decent life. She needed to ensure her future self was capable of protecting the people and things she cared about. When Natalie arrived at Leslie's place, she appeared dejected. The latter approached her, saying, "Natalie, you're back. Let me introduce you to somebody."Natalie followed Leslie's gaze and noticed a man sitting on the couch. The man wore a white shirt. He had rolled up his sleeves slightly, revealing his fair skin. The man was good-looking. However, it was a different kind of handsome from Henry. The man's appearance was exquisite. Natalie felt as though she was looking at a Hollywood s
Natalie's heart skipped a beat. She lifted her gaze and looked at Sheldon with confusion. As soon as their eyes met, she realized they were excessively close. So, she quickly steadied herself. However, she heard a furious voice before she could step out of his embrace. "Natalie Shepherd!" the person bellowed.Natalie turned around to look. Then, she saw a tall figure standing beneath a streetlight. Although against the light, she could still sense how gloomy he was. Why was he there? She did not want to deal with Henry. Yet, he had started walking toward her. Then, he forcefully pulled her away from Sheldon's arms. "I'm still alive and well! How dare you get intimate with another man already?" Anger flashed in Henry's eyes. There was no way he could stay calm. After pondering about it, he decided to give Natalie a brief explanation. After all, Henry did not want the situation to escalate to a point of no return. But he had rushed there just to witness such a scen
Natalie looked at Harry, who was approaching her, with confusion. Then, she greeted, "Hi, Harry."Everyone in the family respected Harry. Natalie had married into the Chase family for three years. However, she rarely saw him in person. Despite that, she heard many good things about him. Almost everyone who had interacted with Harry would praise him. He was completely down-to-earth as he smiled at her. "You won't mind chatting with me, will you?"Instinctively, Natalie glanced at the other end of the street. Harry knew who she was looking for and commented, "I'm afraid Henry won't be coming today.""Huh?""I know there's a café nearby. Shall we talk there?" Harry asked while looking at her inquisitively. But Natalie was determined to get a divorce. "Harry, if you're here to be a mediator, there's no need for a chat.""Nah, I'm not really a mediator. I just want to talk to you about Henry. Natalie, can't I buy you a cup of coffee?" Harry said with a smile.Natalie quickly e
Harry had told her Henry's ward room number. After Natalie arrived at the hospital, she headed straight to his ward. When she reached the ward, she realized the door was slightly ajar. Just as she was about to knock, what was happening inside caught her attention.Henry was lying on his side in the bed. All Natalie could see was his back. But at the edge of his bed, she spotted Juliet sitting there. At that moment, Juliet was looking at him with affection. She even tidied his hair. In that split second, Natalie almost cried because she thought she had done something foolish again. How could she have thought Henry threw a fit and refused treatment because of her? There was no way he would think that she was more important than his health. After all, she was not significant enough. Natalie reckoned that he had put on such an act because he had a little fight with Juliet. Since Juliet was already there, he would surely accept the treatment without fuss. Perhaps both of them
Stanley continued, "I was also only informed about her pregnancy after asking around when I bumped into her at the maternity department. "I thought you knew about it, so I didn't mention it."Juliet shook her head. A wave of panic washed through her. "How did she get pregnant?" She couldn't accept the fact that Natalie was pregnant with Henry's child. Perhaps the child would even draw them closer. By then, it would be impossible for her to get back with him. She was devastated by the thought. But soon, she comforted herself."It's fine. After all, she's just pregnant. It's still uncertain whether the child can be born safely." There was no need for her to panic at all. "Yeah. Lots of things happen in life. There's no one to guarantee that the child can be born safely," Stanley chirped in without skipping a beat.He gave her a meaningful look as he spoke. He often thought she had become very different from how she used to be. She was sometimes even a stranger to him.
However, Natalie forced herself to retract her gaze. After all, she was still aware that Sheldon was beside her. "Let's go. We should eat first."Sheldon saw how desperate she wanted to go into the store. He smiled and said, "There's no rush. We can go in and have a look.""But … you'll have to bear with me …" Natalie was slightly embarrassed. Sheldon interrupted her right away and said casually, "No worries. I still have the patience for this."Natalie's heart skipped a beat. In fact, all she wanted wasn't something materialistic. If Henry had accompanied her patiently after all these years, she wouldn't have lost all hope in their relationship. "Okay … it's only going to take a while."Natalie smiled and stepped into the maternity store. The things sold in the store were too adorable for her to handle. She couldn't bring herself to move away from the store display. Looking at her smile, Sheldon couldn't help but ask, "How long has it been?"He knew about her preg
Henry sighed helplessly. He had no intention to go to Natalie again. She didn't deserve it. However, Owen had always kept his word. If he refused to bring Natalie to his grandparents, they would really move out from the Chase residence. There was no way that he would let them go through the hassle. Moreover, the demolition of the Shepherd residence was partly his fault. For sure, he wouldn't let his grandparents bear the consequences in his stead. He was also suddenly reminded that Natalie was still hanging out with Sheldon. Now, he finally had a reason to show up in front of her. "Are you going to pick Natalie up?"Leonard asked as he shot a mischievous look at Henry once he saw him picking up his car keys.Henry glared at him. "It's not me. It's Grandpa who told me to!""Oh …" Leonard answered mindlessly as he thought to himself, "Henry, you're just being stubborn."After all, there was no way to force him to go if he really didn't want to. Henry's car sped along t
Once Henry and Natalie arrived at the competition venue, Henry made a beeline for the participants' entrance. Meanwhile, family members like Natalie headed straight to the lobby.Natalie had already spotted a few prominent figures in the architectural design field. Some were competing, others were judging.After seeing Henry disappear into the exclusive lane, Natalie strolled toward the lobby.When all the competitors and judges took their places, the host took to the stage to kick off the competition.Due to the language barrier, Natalie could only catch the gist of what the host was saying.Eventually, a sentence flashed on the big screen. After translating it, it read, "A theatre."It seemed that the challenge would be to design a theatre.After the theme was announced, the screen switched to a live feed of the competition area. Competitors had their own designated space.Within the competition area sat dozens of top-tier architects, who all had produced significant works be
Henry cleared his throat and smiled at Mercy. He tried to keep his smile gentle and even spoke softly.But it only took a few seconds of him singing to cause Mercy to burst into tears, her face filled with resistance.The corners of Henry's mouth twitched. Was he that scary?Natalie was stunned by this. What was going on? It seemed that Mercy was a difficult child!Henry and Natalie had arrived in the city a few days before the competition. It was Henry's idea. He said he still owed Natalie a honeymoon trip, so he decided to make it up to her during this overseas trip.They visited many places and took many photos during their free time.Looking at the photos on her phone and then at Henry sleeping beside her, a satisfied smile appeared on Natalie's face.She tiptoed over and pecked Henry on the forehead. "Henry, I never felt more happy."But as soon as she leaned back, she saw Henry with his eyes opened. Under the dim light, his eyes shone brightly with a hint of danger."Ste
Why was Harry here?Time sure flew by. In the blink of an eye, it had been almost three months since Shirley divorced Harry."Shirl, I'll excuse myself since the guest is here. Take your time!" her boss said and retreated to the nearby restroom.All of a sudden, the entire coffee shop fell quiet, and the atmosphere became tense.Shirley and Harry stared at each other, feeling as if time had come to a standstill. In the end, it was Harry who broke the silence. "Let's start.""Why are you…" Shirley still found it hard to believe."It's your birthday today. How could I miss it?" Harry offered a faint smile.Shirley wasn't sure how genuine Harry's feelings for her were at the beginning of their marriage. But she had to admit, Harry never missed any of their anniversaries, or her birthday during the time they were together.But she never thought Harry would still show up and celebrate her birthday with her after the divorce."It's my birthday, yet you're still making me draw
"I see. Then I'll visit Cece after you return," Shane said as he cast a loving gaze at Natalie.As he watched Natalie leave, he couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude and relief.Thankfully, he had realized life's true meaning before it was too late. And fortunately, he still had the opportunity to make different choices and correct his past mistakes. …When Natalie walked out of the Yoder residence, she headed straight to the car parked at the gate.She reached out to open the door, but she realized that she couldn't even grip the handle.But this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.Whenever she tried to pick up a bowl, it would slip from her fingers and shatter on the floor.Whenever she attempted to hold a pen to sign documents, she could barely steady it, resulting in a signature that looked like gibberish.She found herself unable to perform even the simplest of tasks, and much less when it came to lifting heavy objects.Although Henry had been reassur
Natalie didn't know how to respond to such a subject.Though she didn't harbor any resentment toward Celine, it was quite impossible for her to see Celine as importantly as she did Yvonne. Celine might be her biological mother, but she was still like a stranger to her—especially after years of separation.…With Natalie's intervention, the shareholders of the Yoder Group finally calmed down.However, it wasn't because they weren't wary of her identity as Shane Yoder's daughter, but rather, it was because of her identity as Henry Chase's wife.Offending her would also mean offending Henry Chase, and they certainly wanted to avoid that at all costs. Shortly after the chaos at the Yoder Group subsided, Shane finally regained consciousness.The moment he woke up, all he saw was Jonah busy taking care of him.Just then, Jonah was walking toward Shane with a wet towel in hand. He was startled to see that Shane was awake."Dad… " Overwhelmed with joy, Jonah called out to Shane.
Leonard looked up in surprise and saw that Rachel was angrily storming toward him.Apparently, she was the one who had thrown the book at him."Ra-Rachel, what's the matter?" Leonard's mind was racing, but he couldn't figure out what he had done to anger her.Nevertheless, he was ready to admit his mistakes and correct them accordingly."See for yourself!" Rachel picked up the book she'd thrown at him and tossed it to him.Leonard calmly took the book and noticed a striking headline on the book cover."Shocking! Former CEO of Velvet Star Entertainment Is the Boss Behind Sky Entertainment?"Well, the cat was out of the bag.Leonard cleared his throat and pondered on how to explain this to Rachel. But before he could say anything, Rachel spoke up instead, saying, "How could you lie to me? Do you know that I couldn't sleep for nights, worrying that you couldn't find a job?"I felt so guilty that you were kicked out by your father and even lost your job because of me! Every day, I
However, Celine wasn't aware that when she'd quickly run off, Henry had shown up at the other end of the hallway.Although Celine was quite far away, Henry could still tell that it was her.When Henry saw her, he briefly paused at wheeling himself. It was only when Celine's figure completely vanished at the elevator that he wheeled himself into Natalie's ward.He had just finished speaking with the doctor in his office regarding Natalie's condition. The doctor informed him that Natalie might not be able to hold pens for some time. And even if Natalie was able to take care of herself in the later stages of recovery, her hands might not be as agile as before. This news would undoubtedly be devastating to a designer who relied on her hands to draw sketches.On his way back to the ward, Henry had pondered how he should break the news to Natalie. However, he couldn't find an answer.As he entered the ward and wheeled himself to the side of Natalie's bed, he gazed at her with a
When Natalie was pushed off from the seventh floor, her phone had fallen out of her pocket and had subsequently gotten smashed.And so, her phone had been turned off since, rendering Lavender unable to reach her.Lavender frowned, feeling uneasy.When Celine noticed Lavender's strange expression, she quickly asked, "Did you get through?"Lavender shook her head and said, "I'll try Henry's number again." Celine's heart leaped into her throat as she waited.Luckily, Henry quickly picked up the phone this time."Mr. Chase, may I know where Natalie is right now? She missed my wedding today," Lavender anxiously said."She's in the hospital," Henry honestly told her.Lavender furrowed her brows. "Which hospital?""Community Care Hospital.""Got it. Thank you." Lavender hung up the phone. "What did he say?" Celine immediately asked as her heart pounded.Meanwhile, Jonah stared at Celine in confusion and wondered why she was so concerned about Natalie.Such excessive concern di
Lavender's gaze lifted to Jonah's well-defined jawline.Jonah's eyes were notably luminous too, just like they were in their past.Lavender had always been captivated by Jonah's eyes. They shone so brightly and clearly, like stars that were her guiding light.With the microphone in hand, Jonah surveyed the audience before commencing his address, "As you've all witnessed through those images… The past three years have been exceedingly difficult for me. "Throughout that period, I was unaware of the extent of the disgraceful actions I'd committed, nor can I fully comprehend the turmoil those close to me have endured on my behalf. "Yet, if there's one aspect of which I'm absolutely certain…"Jonah's gaze tenderly met Lavender's as he continued, "The woman standing beside me has truly done so much for me. The mere thought of what she endured, and the resilience she displayed during those challenging times, fills me with both awe and fear. "And the commitments I made to her have be