"I've never liked her," Zachary emphasized."Previously, when I asked you why that wedding dress cost 7.18 million, you didn't know the answer." Joey looked into Zachary's eyes, her smile turning bitter. "That was our wedding anniversary date. It was the dress I once mentioned to you. Because Julia liked it, you had the studio sell it to her."Zachary's gaze trembled violently.Joey averted her gaze and swallowed before continuing, "The moment the dress was sold, I let go of the past and embraced my new life.""Why didn't you tell me?" Zachary's throat stiffened. Joey sneered. "Do you think there was a point? Marriage is about two people. It isn't just about one person alone."Zachary had never known that many large cracks had silently formed in their marriage."You've never cared about me, that's why you know nothing," Joey said lightly. "You don't know how much effort I put in to make you notice me, to look at me during the three years of our marriage. However, you wouldn't
Julia, upon learning that Zachary took away the wedding dress designed by Emmen, rushed back discontentedly from the set.Seeing her enraged expression, the housekeeper hurriedly explained, "Mr. Gray said you could get a wedding dress worth around 10 million dollars.""Why didn't you ask him why he took the dress?" Julia's face was dark with anger, and she was so angry that flames nearly spewed out of her eyes."I dare not ask about Mr. Gray's matters," the housekeeper replied, shrinking to a corner.Pushing her aside forcefully, Julia stormed into the dressing room. Seeing that the exquisite dress she'd set her heart on was gone, her eyes reddened.Why did Zachary take the dress she had immediately set her heart on back? Feeling utterly aggrieved, Julia sat in the dressing room, slamming her bag onto the ground as her eyes filled with tears.Was it because of his wife? Julia calmed herself down, her expression turning grim. Then, she picked up her bag and took out her phone.
Zachary raised his brow and glanced at Henry. "Spill it if you want to say something."Folding his arms above his tummy, Henry proceeded carefully. "Don't you think you two are behaving like a couple now?"Henry's words dispelled any ounce of fury left in Zachary. Suppressing his curling lips, Zachary quizzed Henry, "What makes you think that way?""It sounded like she was bantering with you. No?" Henry probed gingerly.Zachary mulled but continued, "Explain.""Couples only banter when they are comfortable with each other. Mrs. Gray never bantered with you. Perhaps she was afraid of you," elaborated Henry."Right. She never talked back to me, even if she was bullied or wronged," Zachary mumbled to himself. As far as he could remember, Joey had always been the docile wife. Zachary whipped out his phone and called Julia. The latter picked up almost immediately. Zachary scowled with a frown."Why did you ask Emmen to design your wedding dress? You did not apologize to Emmen
"I will do my best to make up to her," answered Zachary."You always do this, Zachary. You don't know what it's like to have your favorite things replaced by something else. You care about your feelings and no one else's," scorned Julian."Isn't Julia like that too?" Zachary snapped back."What do you mean?" Julian rebuked, his voice threatening to unleash his rage.Zachary continued coldly, "You know what I mean. She made a scene in the program, and she hasn't apologized yet.""She isn't at fault, is she?" Julian retaliated. "You know Julia is into you. Yet you flirted with another woman. You saw her Twitter post too, and you made her look bad."Zachary reclined on his seat and said, "I did not agree to act all chummy with her before the press.""You turned down the marriage arrangement by claiming that Julia was your first love. Did you consider her feelings back when? She's a girl. She can fall in love with someone else. You can't blame her for that," Julian barked."First l
Joey stayed in the studio and watched as the man came out from the shadow and left. Joey planned to call the police. She could only let go of the breath she was holding once she was sure that the stalker was gone. However, she no longer wanted to head back to the motel. What if the man was waiting for her there? She didn't know what he wanted from her.But the studio was closing soon. Joey couldn't stay there forever. She took out her phone and called the police. After explaining her situation, she waited patiently for the officers by the entrance."You should set up an emergency contact just in case. That way, you can call someone for help if you're in danger," advised the policeman who escorted Joey home. Joey nodded and set Selena as her emergency contact.The policeman continued, "We'll let you know if we find anything about your stalker."Joey nodded again. "Thank you." Fortunately, the studio was equipped with security cameras. It shouldn't be too difficult to ident
Zachary walked to the couch and took a seat. He looked at Joey standing beside him and said, "I'll crash here tonight. Tomorrow morning I'll go to the police station. You have to be cautious until this matter is resolved." "Who exactly is he?"Joey glanced down at him with a cold gaze. Zachary held her hand and gently rubbed it. "An old acquaintance, but I can't tell you." Joey frowned and looked at him for a while before nodding. "Fine. I won't ask about it anymore. Tell me. Was it that difficult to trace that doctor last time?" She could understand if Selena couldn't find him. After all, she didn't have such an extensive network and connections. "It's very difficult to trace. He didn't leave any traces at all." Zachary didn't lie. He had been tirelessly investigating this matter, yet there was no trace of information. The doctor seemed to have never existed. "Can I trust you?" Joey asked as she looked into his eyes. Zachary tightened his grip on her hand. "Why
Joey wasn't even aware that she was bantering with Zachary.Henry mentioned that it was her way of getting close to him. Naturally, Zachary wouldn't tell Joey about it, fearing she might distance herself and refrain from bantering with him.During breakfast, Zachary suddenly said, "I'll be heading to the police station later. If everything is fine, I'll head back directly." Joey gave a nonchalant hum and focused on her food. Zachary reached out to pat her head. The next instant, Joey turned her head and spoke unclearly with tacos in her mouth. "What's wrong with you?""What's wrong with me patting my wife's head?" Zachary's tone carried a subtle hint of displeasure. "Who's your wife?" Joey asked as she leaned to the side.After saying it, she noticed that Zachary wasn't upset. Instead, he was looking at her with a subtle smile. Frowning, Joey felt like Zachary had somehow changed.In the past, if she had been this obstinate with him, he would have surely gotten angry. Sh
Joey couldn't help but wonder what kind of hidden gem store was worthy of such high praise."Is it truly worth a visit?" Joey asked with curiosity."I recommended it because I think it would help with your design. Otherwise, I wouldn't have called to disturb you," Kenneth replied warmly.Joey felt a bit guilty for her cautiousness toward Kenneth's goodwill. She licked her lips and asked, "Is it far?""Since you're in Riviera, you should explore it. There are many mysterious shops here, and it would be a pity if you missed them," Kenneth replied as he smiled.At the same time, Joey received the location he sent to her phone."Be sure to check it out. I have to get back to work now," Kenneth said before hanging up. Joey bought a cup of ice cream and headed to the shop Kenneth mentioned. The shop looked quite ancient, with a wooden sign that read "tranquil".Upon entering, Joey discovered an assortment of high-quality wooden carvings, even though it was a café. Feeling a bit su
Joey shot him a cold glance. "You and he are both the same, so neither of you should be laughing at the other."Zachary nodded. "You're right, but I've turned over a new leaf now.""Let's go. Enough about him," Joey said. She was annoyed whenever Henry was brought up.He had a great girl willing to be with him, yet he was still unhappy. Any other man would have been grinning from ear to ear.They arrived at the restaurant, and while Joey ordered the food, Zachary sent a message to Henry."You should think about this. Joey and Grandma just want you to have someone by your side in the future, which is why they're saying these things."Don't give up on her just because of what her parents said. Having someone who genuinely likes you is rare."From Zachary's perspective, Henry had a pretty good start. Tessa didn't mind his circumstances, so what was he dissatisfied with?Henry quickly replied, "I know. I'll think about it carefully."In truth, Henry found it all a bit troublesome.
Henry was immediately startled and started stammering, "O-Okay."As soon as Joey hung up the phone, she turned to see Tessa, who was crying pitifully, and handed her a tissue.Tessa took the tissue and sobbed without saying a word.Monica had prepared some desserts for her and looked at her with compassion. "Henry has never been in love before. Plus, he's straightforward and doesn't know how to talk properly. There's no need to cry."Joey thought that Henry just didn't love Tessa enough. Otherwise, how could he say such things?Tessa's eyes were swollen and red. Her tears continuously streamed down. "I know he doesn't like me. Maybe he just agreed to the relationship because I pursued him."Joey patted her shoulder. "In love, if one person is too proactive, the other will seem passive. The fact that you dared to love already makes you braver than many.""What's the point? He doesn't care about me at all." Tessa sniffled."Here, eat something," Monica said. "Feelings like love d
No one tried to persuade Henry further, but Zachary continued to say to him, "Come with me to choose a location for the security company. It's worth doing."Henry was a bit speechless. "I'm not even pursuing the relationship anymore. Why should I still think about the security company?"Zachary responded, "Do you plan to cling to Joey's coattails your whole life? Once the business is set up, you can have apprentices teach others, and you can become a hands-off boss in a year or two."With that, Zachary headed out.After they left, Monica sighed in disappointment. "And I here I thought Henry had found someone good for him.""I think it's quite normal. Finding a good woman isn't easy," Joey said.Henry was indeed a good person, but with one eye missing and his job as a bodyguard, it was inevitable that Tessa's parents would worry."How disappointing," Monica murmured repeatedly.Joey didn't know what else to say and could only comfort her. "There's still a chance. What if Tessa d
Joey snorted. "You looked down on me and thought I had no opinions back then."Zachary pulled her into his arms. "Joey, do you like the person you are now or the person you were before?""What about you?" Joey asked him."I liked you from the beginning. Do you think I would have pursued you for so long if I didn't? I never thought you were serious about the divorce. At first, I was angry, but now I just think I was too slow to react."Joey was genuinely angry back then, but he had thought she was playing hard to get.The two of them sat close and watched the movie together.Selena hadn't returned yet, so Joey guessed that she wouldn't be coming back."Selena probably won't return. Hanson is cunning by taking her away with just a movie," Joey said.Zachary turned off the projector and was still savoring the moment as Joey left his arms."They're in love. Otherwise, Selena wouldn't go with him so easily," Zachary remarked.Selena must really like Hanson. Otherwise, she wouldn't
Zachary squeezed her hand tightly. "You're just like an exquisite and beautiful flower."Joey couldn't help but laugh. She pulled her hand back with a little force. "Even though we just had a heartfelt conversation, I haven't thought about being your girlfriend.""I get it. You're Chloe, and countless people are lining up to pursue you," Zachary said in a voice tinged with jealousy.If she wasn't so focused on her work, she probably would have found a new boyfriend by now. For example, Kenneth was an excellent person. If Joey had accepted him back then, Zachary thought he wouldn't stand a chance now.When they got back to Emmen, Joey freshened up and got back to work.Zachary couldn't help but say, "Can't you take a break?""I've gotten used to this over the past year. When I can't sleep at night, I'll work. I find it hard to relax now," Joey said while reading a document intently.Without her dedication and hard work, Emmen wouldn't have grown so quickly.Zachary beckoned her
Zachary felt a heavy weight on his chest as he looked at Joey.She continued, "Even if I accept you again, and we try to rebuild a family, I know things can never go back to the way they were. I gave you my best years, and I don't feel like I owe you anything."During those three years, you ignored my true feelings and neglected me. Do you think it's possible to go back to the past now?"Zachary said, "I'm truly sorry.""I want to fully accept you, but I can't. You all think that the many hurts inflicted on me are something I can just get over, let go of, and move forward from. But I can't."I realize now that people are complicated and hold grudges. I constantly revisit every wrong done to me. If I didn't care, it would mean I don't care about any of you at all."Joey rarely opened up to Zachary like this, but she felt it necessary to make this clear.Zachary watched her silently and felt as though it was his first time knowing what she actually thought."It's like how I don't
Selena readily agreed, "Alright. It's not fair for you to handle everything alone."Her relationship with Hanson was intense and passionate at the beginning, but now that the initial fire had burned out, Selena felt less attached to Hanson. But after dinner, she was still dragged by Hanson to watch a new movie.Joey was exhausted from work and didn't want to move, so she sat at the dining table with Zachary to enjoy the peace."Shall we head back soon?" Zachary asked after a long while.Joey hummed, exhausted. "Let's sit a bit longer.""If you don't want to walk, I can carry you," Zachary said with a smile.Joey snorted. "Do you want Grandma to scold me? Have you even recovered?""Probably not. These wounds don't heal so easily," Zachary admitted honestly. He wanted to please Joey but had forgotten that his health was no longer as robust as before."Let's sit for another half an hour," Joey said as she leaned back in her chair and replied to messages on her phone."You're work
Selena felt that what Joey said made sense and immediately nodded in agreement. "Then I won't consider marriage."Zachary glanced at them and thought that Selena was a bad influence on Joey. Even if they were married, couldn't they still have fun? What was the difference?Around noon, Hanson and Tessa arrived at Emmen together.As soon as Tessa saw Henry, she ran to him and grabbed his arm. "I got out of class early to see you. You're not mad, are you?"Henry was taken aback, but seeing Tessa clinging to him so sweetly filled his heart with joy."Not at all. Why didn't you tell me? I could have picked you up," Henry said.Tessa held his hand. "Why do you have to pick me up? I know where you work, so I can come to find you."Henry nodded dumbly."Tessa, have you eaten?" Monica stepped forward with a gentle smile."No, but my parents want to invite him to dinner tonight. I've already arranged it with them," Tessa said with a smile.Joey thought this wasn't just a regular dinner
Henry had a smile on his face, looking quite pleased with himself. "Of course, she fell in love with me at first sight."Selena laughed. "Impressive! But your cosplay style probably appeals to most young girls, right?"Henry may have only one eye, but he was still very handsome. He was like a cosplayer you'd see on the street.He simply smiled and picked up his phone to check in with Tessa.After chatting, Henry grinned like a fool. "She asked me out to lunch. She said she doesn't have classes this afternoon and wants to take me to her place."Joey felt a bit envious. "You're incredibly lucky. You need to cherish this."Henry nodded as Monica looked at Henry with a smile."What is your girlfriend studying in grad school?" Selena asked curiously."Something related to Eldelish language studies I think," Henry replied, unsure.Joey nodded. "That sounds good."After finishing his meal, Henry sat nearby, playing on his phone.Selena couldn't help but tell Joey, "Is he just going