Just then, the phone rang abruptly, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere between the two. He frowned, wondering who would call so late. When he saw the caller ID, his expression darkened. Haley noticed Shane's unpleasant expression and asked curiously, "Mr. Ford, who's calling? Aren't you going to answer?" Shane initially did not want to answer, but after some thought, he reluctantly picked up. "What's up?" His voice, already cold, now felt like icy blades, sending shivers down one's spine. Anyone could tell he was angry. However, Evelyn on the other end of the line did not seem to notice. She was frantic, her voice trembling as she cried out over the phone, "Ah Shane, it's bad! Stella committed suicide!" "So what?" Shane's tone was extremely indifferent. Evelyn's voice was urgent as she repeated, "Stella, Stella! She could not bear seeing you with other women, so she cut her wrists. If it weren't for the maid finding her in time..." Midway through her words, Evelyn could not
However, staying at the Ford family's place was not a long-term solution. So, she started to hatch a plan. Her niece had good looks and a pleasant personality. If she could marry into the Ford family, why couldn't her niece? She shared her thoughts with Stella, and to her surprise, Stella agreed without hesitation. Stella even confessed that she had been secretly in love with Shane for a long time. This was a pleasant surprise for her. So, over the years, she had been creating opportunities for Stella, both openly and covertly. Whenever Shane visited the Ford family, she would secretly contact Stella. Stella would then use the pretext of visiting her to get closer to Shane. However, despite all these years of effort, Shane remained indifferent to Stella's advances. This left her efforts in vain, and all her schemes fell through. She had thought she was being discreet about the whole matter and would not be found out, but Shane had surprisingly seen through it all. Evelyn felt
Haley looked at Shane and asked, "Mr. Ford, are you sure it's okay not to go?"Although she did not like the tone of Evelyn's words, she had no grudge against Stella. What if Stella really could not bear it and things took a turn for the worse?Shane threw his phone aside and looked calmly at Haley. "So, you want me to go?"Haley thought carefully. If Shane really went, could she truly remain indifferent? To her surprise, the answer was no! Perhaps no wife in the world would willingly let her husband go meet another woman late at night.Under Shane's gaze, she voiced her thoughts. After speaking, there was a long silence from Shane, leaving her anxious as she cautiously observed his expression. But when she looked up, she found a smile in Shane's eyes and between his brows, seemingly quite pleased.Shane was indeed happy because Haley's answer satisfied him. If Haley had said she did not mind and left the decision to him, it would have been akin to pronouncing a death sentence.H
No matter how hard she tried, she could not shake those images from her mind. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Until a deep voice beside her asked, "Can't sleep?"Haley's body stiffened, suddenly afraid to move. Nervously, she held her breath and softly replied, "Mm."In the darkness, Shane opened his eyes and turned to look in Haley's direction. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he could vaguely make out the small lump beside him through the moonlight filtering in through the curtains.He thought for a moment, then slowly moved closer, wrapping Haley and the blanket she was under in his arms.Startled by the unexpected movement, Haley jumped, her body tensing even more. "Mr. Ford!""Yeah, don't be afraid. I won't do anything, just holding you," Shane reassured her softly.Haley, who had been facing away from Shane, slowly turned to face him upon hearing his words. Their eyes met.Haley asked Shane, "Mr. Ford, have you ever regretted marrying me?"She wa
Shane was momentarily taken aback, but then burst into laughter when he understood what Haley meant. He lazily lay on the bed, chuckling heartily, looking quite pleased.Haley did not know what he was laughing at, but her cheeks uncontrollably grew hotter.She glared at Shane in annoyance. After all, it was his own words! Shane immediately suppressed his laughter, stretched out his long arm, and pulled her into his embrace. Haley instinctively wanted to struggle, but she heard his deep, hoarse voice above her. "You can understand it as me wanting to have a normal romantic relationship with you, just like any other couple. After all, our marriage was too hasty. I want to give you enough time to adapt and make up for what we missed, without any regrets."Pausing for a moment, Shane hinted, "Of course, if you want to take it 'to the next step' with me, I don't mind."Haley lifted her head in confusion, "Can we still date after getting married?"Shane nodded, his tone firm, "As
In truth, Evelyn was prepared to give up. Shane had a heart tougher than anyone she'd encountered. When he liked something, he liked it; if not, he didn't. So no matter how hard Stella tried, it was all in vain. Unfortunately, Stella did not see it that way. She stubbornly believed that Haley's appearance had disrupted all her plans. Over the years, she had considered giving up and even tried to get along with other men. But she always unconsciously compared those men to Shane. The result was clear. None of those men could even compare to Shane's pinky finger. In her heart, Shane was the perfect man. Not only was he from a prestigious family, good-looking, and wealthy, but he also held control over the entire Ford Corporation. If she could bear him a son, her son would inherit the entire Ford Corporation. Then everyone would have to flatter and fawn over her. Over the years, she had grown accustomed to hardship and endured much humiliation and abuse. She had had enough! From
How could Evelyn possibly accept that? The thought of James suffering so much because of that little wench Haley made her seethe with anger. She wished she could tear Haley to pieces to relieve her heartache. But she remained rational and shook her head. "I can't help you with this favor. Haley is no longer the helpless, unfavored, down-and-out miss she used to be. If Shane finds out, we'll all be finished."Evelyn knew Shane's methods better than anyone. Despite his aloof demeanor, he was not one to lose his temper easily. But when he did, those who offended him would meet a terrible fate. Evelyn had heard rumors before about a few partners who offended Shane with their disrespectful remarks. Soon after, those companies encountered various problems—either exposed for shoddy workmanship or reported for tax evasion. There was even a company where several executives were suspected of sexual harassment and misconduct, leading to a plummet in the company's stock price. Everyone su
Xena jumped up from the bed in excitement, her voice raising several degrees, "Really? That's wonderful, James! We can finally be together openly and honestly!"But despite Xena's excitement, there was no hint of joy on James's face. Calling off the engagement was what he wanted most, and theoretically, he should be happy now that he got what he wished for. But he could not muster any happiness because the price of this termination of the engagement was too steep. Not only had Shane frozen his bank account, but he also had to address his most hated ex-fiancee as "Aunt." Most importantly, he had not convinced his grandmother to accept Xena into the family. His grandmother never liked Xena due to her background, and with Haley marrying his uncle, it was even harder for Xena to enter the Ford family. After leaving the Ford residence, he immediately made plans to go to the bar with friends. However, Xena was completely unaware of his troubles, holding her phone tightly with exciteme