Rachel had meant to protect Leonard, but how did it end up the other way round again?In fact, he'd protected her so well that the thugs couldn't even lay a finger on her.However, Rachel could clearly hear the grunts Leonard let slip. He was probably in a lot of pain, yet he still did his best to put up with it."Stop hitting him… Please, just stop…"Several moments later, Rachel's tears rolled down her cheeks—Leonard was hanging by a thread now.His head was leaning against her chest, and his breathing had become extremely weak.Rachel lost track of how long the agony lasted. The only thing she was aware of was a group of men barging into the bar sometime later."Mr. Richmond!"The group of men darted toward Leonard and Rachel and swiftly had the thugs under control. "Mr. Richmond?" they called out again."He's severely injured. You have to take him to the hospital now! Get him to the hospital!" Rachel cried out amid her sobs.What happened was totally contrary to her
Leonard pressed his lips into a thin line and didn't try to argue with Rachel.As long as she refused to admit it, reasoning with her until he was blue in the face wouldn't get him anywhere.Rachel observed Leonard's silence and awkwardly said, "Since you're fine, I'll take my leave now."But just as she turned to leave, Leonard grabbed her wrist."I was so close to death. Are you really going to leave me just like this?" He pitifully gazed at Rachel. His pitiful and aggrieved attitude stopped Rachel in her tracks, and she felt as though her legs were suddenly glued to the floor.Leonard made it seem like she'd be the most wicked human on earth if she were to leave him just like that."You could at least help me back to the ward, no?" Leonard frowned, sounding displeased."You were the one who faked your own death… If you hadn't done that, you'd already be lying in bed right now," Rachel muttered under her breath.Only Leonard could've come up with an idea as ill-humored as f
At that moment, Rachel did feel slightly tempted, and her heart was touched as well.Throughout the years, many men of noble birth had wanted to court her for fun. But Leonard was the first man who'd ever dared to ask for her hand in marriage.Anyone at her age would naturally look forward to a romantic relationship. But Rachel didn't dare to indulge in one.Rachel was stunned for several moments. Then, she smiled, saying, "Let's not think about the what-ifs. Aren't you afraid I might start taking you seriously?""I'm not kidding you! If you're worried that I'm not serious about you, we can go straight to the City Hall and get our marriage license when we return to the country!" Leonard answered firmly.Because of Rachel, Leonard took the notion of marriage very seriously.Now, he finally understood what Henry meant when he'd said, "It's not that you don't want to get married. You just haven't met the one who'd make you lose all reason. And you'll want to give marriage a chance
"We'll know how true that is after we try it out. Am I right?" Henry's lips curved into a naughty grin.Natalie didn't want to discuss such a lewd topic with him. So, she pulled the blanket aside and got out of bed. "I'm going next door to check on Cece."In the night, Mercy would sleep in the nursery next door while Olivia took care of her.When morning came, Natalie would then take Mercy to her room.Natalie could literally watch Mercy for the entire day, and every time she did that, she'd be in a dilemma—she hoped that Mercy could grow up faster, but at the same time, she hoped time would pause right there and then."I have to head out today. I might come home slightly later," Henry said.Natalie paused as she got up from the bed. Then, she turned toward him and asked, "Where are you going?"Henry wouldn't inform her of this if he were simply going to work. Obviously, he had something else to attend to."I'm going to meet the healer's granddaughter. They say she's heading
"Mr. Chase, someone just ran out into the road in front of our car—"But before the driver could finish his sentence, the person in question had run to the backseat door and kept knocking on the window."Open up! Open up! Let me in, will you?"Henry's brows furrowed. If he wasn't mistaken, this person was Shane's son, Jonah. He was the one who'd become intellectually disabled two years ago because of a car accident.What happened to him? And why was he here all alone?But Henry was indebted to Celine, and given that Jonah was her son, he figured that he had to take good care of Jonah on her behalf.If anything happened to Jonah, Celine wouldn't be able to take it."This guy…" Earl was about to go out and chase Jonah away.But Henry stopped him and said, "Let him in."Both Earl and the driver were stunned. Yet, they dared not question Henry's instructions.In the end, the driver unlocked the backseat door.Finally able to open the door, Jonah hopped in without hesitation.
Jonah's presence had become a stain in Shane's life.Even when he was attending a gathering today, people frequently questioned him about Jonah's condition.In truth, he didn't want to answer their questions! He would much rather have everyone pretend that Jonah didn't exist!Such emotions slowly accumulated over time within Shane, and he began to have the idea of ridding Jonah from his life.It wasn't his fault for thinking this way.Jonah was just too weak.At that moment, Cesar suddenly walked in. He asked in confusion, "Dad, where's Aunt Celine going? She seems to be in a rush… She also just ignored me when I talked to her."Usually, Celine would at least roll her eyes at Cesar. But this time, she didn't even do that."Just ignore her! What can she do? She just flocks around her stupid son every day," Shane said.Cesar didn't know how to reply to Shane, so he simply decided to keep his mouth shut.Then, Shane looked at Cesar, and an idea came to mind. "You wouldn't di
Although she sent Natalie to the orphanage the second Natalie was born, she was filled with pain and guilt when she made her decision.So, she had always remembered how Natalie looked when she was born.In fact, no one knew that she kept a photo of Natalie in her wallet's compartment.That was the only photo of Natalie she kept.Celine's gaze immediately became strange at the sight of the child."Thank you for taking care of my child, Mr. Chase. I won't trouble you two any further. I'll bring Jonah home now." Celine immediately collected her gaze and turned to look at Henry."Mom, I want to play with Cece a little longer…" Jonah said reluctantly.His words immediately increased Celine's anxiousness. She didn't even know what to say at that moment."Mrs. Yoder, he still wants to play for a while longer. Why don't you…"You two can stay a little while longer. Cece also seems to be enjoying herself with Jonah," Henry said with a faint smile."It's a bit late now. Not to mention,
Natalie could not help but frown. "Won't you hate it if I become chubby?"Henry looked at Natalie and shook his head solemnly. "I won't. In fact, I think you'll look cute if you become chubbier."He'd even be able to feel more secure. It would stop other men from thinking of coveting Natalie."So, I can relax and eat all I want?" Natalie asked uncertainly.Henry's expression remained solemn. "I'll reward you 20 million for every two pounds you gain. If you gain ten pounds, you'll get 100 million and vice versa."Natalie's mouth could not help but twitch.It seemed like he was well-prepared to spend everything to make her chubby……For the past few days, some people have been having a great time while others suffered.Harper and Fiona were part of the suffering ones.She could not muster the generosity to wish Hugh and Leslie well while feeling unhappy and unfortunate.So, Harper decided to hold a press conference after discussing things with her mother.During the press con
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