Isabella and Andrew returned to the villa after dark.She was extremely tired. After taking a bath and changing into her pajamas, she went straight to bed. He stayed in the study handling work and did not disturb her.The next day, Isabella slept in late and was eventually woken up by Andrew."Don't bother me, let me sleep a bit longer," she murmured lazily, turning over."Come on, if you don't get up, you'll miss the good show," he said with a warm smile, reaching out to lift her out of bed.She lay limply in his arms, unwilling to open her eyes."If you don't wake up, I'll kiss you," he said, gazing at her.She still didn't respond, but her slightly trembling eyelashes gave her away.Andrew's lips met hers. As soon as he kissed her, she laughed and pulled away."Andrew, are you playing 'Sleeping Beauty' so early in the morning?" she giggled, pushing him away and jumping out of bed wrapped in the blanket.He sat by the bed, looking at her with gentle eyes, "Not pretending to sleep an
"Gina, be good." Thomas half-embraced the child, looking at the woman in confusion, and asked again, "How did you get here?""Didn't you send someone to pick us up?" the woman responded, equally puzzled."What's going on here?" Thomas glanced at the silent driver standing at the door.The driver pressed his lips together without speaking, then glanced in Andrew's direction.Thomas followed his gaze and saw Andrew sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, his eyebrows slightly raised, exuding an air of defiance and provocation.Thomas wasn't a fool and immediately understood that this was Andrew's retaliation. His driver had been bribed by Andrew, or perhaps had been Andrew's plant from the very beginning."I'd like to know what's going on too. Thomas, who are this woman and child, and what are they doing here? Explain yourself!" Stella demanded, standing up from the sofa in a rage.The little girl, terrified, clung tightly to Thomas.Thomas hugged the child, patiently comforting her,
“Stella, don't make it sound so harsh. This is indeed my fault. I acted inappropriately while drunk. Originally, I planned to send her back to her hometown, but she got pregnant suddenly. The doctor said her uterine lining is thin, and if she didn’t have this child, she might never get the chance to be a mother.This situation is my fault, and I couldn’t take away her chance to be a mother, so I let her have the child.After Gina was born, I provided them with living expenses every month but rarely had contact with them.Stella, if it makes you unhappy, I'll arrange for them to be sent far away so they won’t be in your sight…”Stella listened, sneering silently. What a plausible story—too good not to be a script. Drunken mistake, unexpected pregnancy, thin uterine lining—how did all these coincidences happen to them?Thomas’s age at the time would mean his health wasn’t that good, or he wouldn’t have gotten sick. This was treating her like a fool.“Stella, since Thomas has admitted hi
That night, after learning about the incident, Thomas fainted from anger and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.Soon after, Andrew and Isabella got the news and immediately went to watch the drama unfold.As evening turned into night, the hospital corridors became quiet and empty. However, outside the emergency room, there was a noisy commotion and chaos.The doctor issued a critical condition notice, and Mr. Jacob, holding the notice, was trembling uncontrollably. Mrs. Hannah, in a fit of rage, slapped Stella across the face."Foolish woman, foolish woman," Mrs. Hannah cursed repeatedly.Stella, stunned by the slap, was still seething with resentment. Thomas was the one who kept a mistress; he was clearly at fault. She had merely gone to teach that bitch a lesson."Mom." Henry and Nora naturally defended their mother."Grandpa, Grandma, Dad is in critical condition. I know you’re upset, and my mom is also feeling terrible. Ultimately, it’s Dad’s fault for cheating. M
"Alright, I'll go to the hospital tomorrow," Isabella replied."There's one more thing," Andrew added, "Caleb's company is facing some problems.""Well." Isabella nodded nonchalantly upon hearing this, as if she had known it all along.In fact, she did know. For once, her information came a few days earlier than Andrew's."You knew it?" Andrew raised an eyebrow, intrigued.Isabella nodded. "I told you before, Caleb is useful for dealing with Victoria. He is the key.""Oh? Seems like you have a plan. Let's hear it," Andrew said, his blue eyes narrowing with interest.Isabella sat cross-legged on the sofa and began, "I remember you telling me that when Thomas was in charge of the Turner family consortium, the Mitchell family profited greatly. Those accounts are still on the Turner family's books. Now that you are in charge, the Mitchell family must know those debts could become a liability. They must be aware of this, yet they haven't filled the gap.What does this imply? It means their
Caleb was exceptionally passionate today, and after they finished, Victoria lay on his chest, panting heavily. Caleb lit a cigarette, his leg still rubbing against her. “Sweetheart, did you miss me?” he asked.Victoria wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing their bodies close again. She nodded and asked, “And you, did you miss me?”“Of course, my performance just now should have shown that,” Caleb replied with a smile, pulling her into his arms again.Victoria struggled briefly but was too exhausted to continue.Caleb didn’t intend to push further; the prelude had been sufficient. He sat up, lit a cigarette, and began to broach the main topic.He didn't mention the Mitchell family’s crisis. Caleb knew Victoria well enough to see through her facade of deep affection. She actually loved the prestige of being associated with one of the Four Great Families."Victoria, it’s good you came back in time. If you hadn’t, I would have been even more worried."“Worried about missing me?” Vict
Victoria was naturally unaware that Isabella was inwardly applauding her at that moment. What a well-crafted strategy of using both hard and soft tactics. If Asher weren't her and Andrew's biological child, she might have really been caught in Victoria's trap."Victoria, your words are so reasonable and well-founded that I am almost convinced by you. However, Andrew is a man who separates personal affairs from business, and I can't guarantee that what I say will necessarily work."Victoria smiled knowingly upon hearing Isabella's agreement. She then stood up and whispered a few words into Isabella's ear.After listening, Isabella felt an inexplicable mix of emotions. Victoria had taught her how to control a man in bed.According to Victoria, men are easiest to manipulate in bed when their adrenaline is high and their IQ inevitably drops. Though some of Victoria's tricks seemed disgraceful, Isabella thought they might come in handy someday.For once, Isabella and Victoria found a rare
She drove to Olivia's house, even though it was quite late. Isabella took off her shoes at the entrance and quietly walked into the living room."Have a seat," Olivia said, pouring her half a glass of warm water before handing over the contract and materials.Isabella sat on the fabric sofa, flipping through the contract while listening to Olivia. "The first season of this reality show was already aired and did very well. Now it's the second season, and you're a permanent guest. The show will have about fifteen episodes, taking roughly four months to shoot. The payment details are all written in the contract."Isabella flipped to the middle of the contract and specifically looked at the payment. One good thing about reality shows is that the pay is quite substantial.Olivia couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Isabella, your behavior is really embarrassing for your CEO husband.""Who would complain about having too much money?" Isabella said, then turned to the last page of the contract,