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
In the evening, Joe got a call from the company's shareholders. He answered the call with a smile, "Hey, William, what brought you to give me a ring? Something up with the company?"The top management of the company was well aware of Joe's illness and hospitalization. Normally, they would not bother him unless there was something urgent."Joe, how much longer do you need to recover? The company's performance has been declining sharply, and the shareholders are demanding answers from you."The smile on Joe's lips instantly faded, and he replied coldly, "Why the rush? It's the off-season now, and it's normal for the company's performance to decline. William, you should know this better than I do, right?""It's easy for you to say, but the losses are real money. While your daughter climbs up the ladder with the Ford family, living a worry-free life, we still have to make ends meet!"Now, Joe's expression turned completely solemn."If my daughter really can marry into the Ford family
The doctor said Joe's recovery was going well, and he could be discharged tomorrow. After the recent scare, she was feeling a bit shaken. Joe, noticing her hesitation, frowned and commanded, "Bring me my phone." Reluctantly, Zoe handed him the phone. Joe found numerous unread messages, mostly from shareholders questioning what to do next. Seeing all these messages, Joe felt another wave of dizziness. These lost clients were all once the best partners during Yvonne's time. Despite JY's declining performance in recent years, he had thought that they would have shown some consideration out of respect for Yvonne. He never expected them to be so callous. Joe's expression darkened, and he sneered, "Fine, let them go. Once we get assistance from the Ford Corporation, these people will definitely regret it." Zoe pondered for a moment before addressing Joe, "Joe, Xena wants to marry into the Ford family. But she'll likely have to pass Mrs. Ford Sr.'s scrutiny, and time might be runnin
Zoe observed the changes in Joe's expression carefully and comforted him softly, "You're Haley's biological father. There's no lasting grudge between a father and daughter, right? I believe as long as you reach out to her, she'll come back."Joe's grim expression softened slightly, but he still maintained his pride, "Humph, even without that money, I can still get the company back on track. And as for Xena and James..."He could not continue his words halfway through. James mentioned that Mrs. Ford Sr. had not accepted Haley yet. So, this marriage was not going to happen anytime soon. The Ford family was currently not dependable.Zoe's lips curled up, a glint of determination in her eyes. "Isn't it simple? Just marry off Haley, isn't that enough? I'll take a good look at Haley these days and find her a suitable husband."Joe felt a slight wavering in his heart at her words. With the company on the brink of collapse and shareholders murmuring discontent, he was probably on their rad