Stella’s voice trembled with fear. Ignoring her, Shane turned to the waiter and asked, "What about you? Do you recognize her?"The waiter instinctively lifted his gaze, meeting Shane's icy, penetrating stare, which sent shivers down his spine. At the same time, memories of being beaten by the bodyguards flashed involuntarily through his mind. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees abruptly."I... I do recognize her. That night, she gave me a large sum of money to serve you a drink.""You're lying! Don't you dare slander me!" Stella growled angrily, her eyes burning with resentment as she glared at him."I'm not slandering you. The check you gave me is still in my pocket at home!" The waiter spoke while pulling out a crumpled check from his pocket.The amount written on it was sixty thousand.Although insignificant to the top-tier Ford family, this sum represented a year or even several years' worth of salary for an ordinary person.Seeing the check, Stella felt utter
Less than five minutes after the medication took effect, Stella could not bear it anymore. She felt like she was being roasted over a fire, her whole body uncomfortably hot. Gradually, her consciousness began to blur, and she lost control of her limbs. She reached out to pull at her clothes, trying to alleviate the heat inside her.Evelyn was frightened by her actions and quickly stopped her, saying, "Stella, I've asked someone to get ice cubes. Just hold on a little longer.""Evelyn, I feel terrible..." Stella's heart was full of grievance and unwillingness. Tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes and slowly streamed down her cheeks.Seeing this, Evelyn felt even more distressed. She had done everything she could, but Shane's heart was as hard as a stone, refusing to relent and allow her to call a doctor.In just fifteen minutes, Stella had scratched herself several times, her hair in disarray. Sweat soaked her hair, dripping down her strands. Her appearance was simply too pi
Mrs. Ford Sr. nodded. "Shane has always been reserved, and he's had his share of hardships since childhood. He's been keeping his emotions bottled up for years, but now he's slowly opening up. As his mother, I can't afford to lag behind."The butler understood. "No wonder you didn't stop today's commotion."Mrs. Ford Sr. smiled but said nothing.Downstairs, Shane held Haley's hand and stood up. "Now that everything's resolved, let's go.""Okay," Haley obediently agreed, following closely behind him.Once they were in the car, Shane noticed her lack of enthusiasm. "Are you scared?"Haley snapped back to reality and shook her head lightly. "No, I was just thinking about something.""What is it? Tell me," Shane prompted.Haley glanced at him, hesitated, and then said, "Please don't be angry when I say this.""Just say it," Shane replied.Haley said, "Stella is beautiful, talented, and she's so fond of you. When you were looking to get married, why didn't you consider her?"Shan
After finishing his sentence, Shane lowered his gaze to Haley, noticing her changing expressions with some amusement. He thought to himself, "That little girl, what's going on in her head?" He gently tapped her forehead, "Back to the real world. Had enough kisses, or should I keep going?"Haley quickly covered her lips with her hand, blocking Shane's gaze. "Enough! No more!" she declared.Shane could not help but laugh at Haley's immediate response. Shane chuckled softly, returning to his seat and starting the engine again.Haley breathed a sigh of relief, rolling down the car window to get some fresh air. The gentle breeze swept across her face, dispersing the lingering heat.Back at the Violet Grove, Shane turned to Haley. "I'll go to the study to take care of some work. Let the kitchen know what you'd like for dinner.""Okay," Haley nodded obediently.Seeing her obedient demeanor, Shane could not resist reaching out to ruffle her hair.Half a minute later, Haley shook her
"Guess you haven't fallen for someone yet. You'll understand when you do," Shane remarked.Henry shrugged off the comment, confident it would not happen to him. Little did he know, in the not-so-distant future, he would come to grasp the true meaning of those words when faced with unrequited love.But that was a tale for another day.Henry, being nosy, prodded, "It's been over a month since you and Haley tied the knot, and you still haven't sealed the deal. Having performance issues, huh?"Shane's response was silence.Unaware of the danger, Henry pressed on, teasingly pushing the boundaries."Oh, forgot you're still a virgin. Need some pointers? Maybe I should share some resources to help you learn?"Shane's expression darkened, his teeth gritted, "Henry, that piece of land you wanted? Gone. The limited-edition luxury sports car you had your eye on? Gone too."Henry was speechless. He realized he had crossed a line.Instantly, he backtracked, "Shane, my bad! Forgive me! I was
Shane, however, thought that Haley had really misunderstood, hastily explaining, "I can, don't believe me? I can prove it to you."As soon as he finished speaking, he realized how inappropriate it sounded. It seemed like he was overly eager.Haley crossed her arms, calmly looking at him, saying, "No wonder you're so skilled at kissing, you must be quite experienced."Shane broke out in a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, "No, it's not like that. This is the first time I clicked on those videos. You came in just as I clicked, I can swear that my first kiss was with you."Haley's heart blossomed with joy, but she still wore a skeptical expression. "Really?""Really!"Having lived thirty years, he had never felt so flustered before. He worried that Haley might misunderstand, so he tried his best to disassociate himself from those videos while silently cursing Henry hundreds of times.Haley's delicate nose wrinkled slightly, asking, "Then why are you so skilled?"When Shane kiss
For her, these words meant complete trust, a willingness to surrender herself entirely.Shane naturally understood the weight of these words better than anyone else. He was stunned for a moment, his mind buzzing as if blank. Then, a wave of joy washed over him. His body reacted before his brain, taking the lead to kiss Haley's lips. His lips trembled slightly from excitement. Time seemed to blur for Haley, feeling dizzy and weak in the legs. If it weren't for Shane holding her waist, she might have collapsed. Shane was not faring much better, his breathing erratic, forehead damp with sweat. The shirt, previously buttoned to the top, was now wrinkled in a mess. He bent down, scooping Haley into his arms and striding towards the bedroom. Placing her on the soft bed, Haley felt a sudden nervousness about what was to come. Shane hovered over her, his deep dark eyes fixed on her. His voice hoarse, he asked, "Haley, are you really sure? Once we proceed, there's no turning back."
After hanging up the phone, Shane returned to the bed, but did not lie down. He was afraid that if he got too close to Haley, he would not be able to control himself. Since getting married, he and Haley had been sharing the same bed, and only he knew how much torment he endured. Although Haley's sleeping posture was very good, she often accidentally touched his body. Almost every day after Haley fell asleep, he had to take a cold shower. He worried that continuing like this would cause problems. But everything was worth it. Haley had no idea about all the thoughts going through his mind. She recalled her initiative just now and wished she could find a hole to hide in. She regretted her boldness just now. Was she too unreserved? However, she did not regret it. After spending this time together, she was sure that Shane was a responsible and trustworthy person. She wanted to take a chance. She could not just enjoy the benefits Shane brought without giving anything in return.