Although she said that on the surface, Jenny could tell that she did not believe her. She shot a fierce glare at Haley, pouting, "Hmph, I'm ignoring you! You've temporarily lost the right to talk to me." Her attempt to cover up her feelings amused Haley, but with the class bell ringing, she had to swallow her words. The teacher was giving an opening speech on the stage, introducing the main content of the class. Xena's late arrival interrupted the teacher's conversation. "Teacher, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to be late." The teacher glanced at Xena and said helplessly, "Xena, please go back to your seat. I hope you won't be late again in the future." Although the teacher said this, he was not angry because this class was the last one. When the grades were out, this course would be completely over. Xena smiled apologetically and quickly walked into the classroom. She looked around the classroom, eventually locking eyes with Haley, and walked straight towards her. Haley
She would gain the admiration, respect, and envy of everyone. Meanwhile, Haley would forever be nailed to the pillar of shame, never able to turn the tide! Just then, the teacher called Xena's name. Suppressing her inner excitement, Xena stood up slowly. Before taking the stage, she once again cast a provocative glance at Haley. Perplexed, Haley watched her leave, a vague sense of foreboding creeping into her heart. As Xena unveiled her design, that sense of foreboding solidified into reality. Haley sat up straight, her eyes filled with anger, fixed unwaveringly on the design. Xena's unveiled design was an exact replica of the one Haley had spent a week creating, with only minor modifications to the details. Haley's hands trembled as she clutched her laptop bag. How dare Xena? In a fleeting moment, Haley's mind raced through many scenarios, settling on the events of the previous evening. It turned out her suspicion about her computer being tampered with was not unfounded. But s
In the audience, Jenny also sensed that something was off. She leaned in close to Haley and whispered, "Haley, did she know in advance what your piece was and intentionally copied it?" But as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt something was amiss. "Haley, this piece, why does it resemble your style so much? Could it be..." Haley nodded gently, placing a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. "Let's wait and see." She knew Jenny was the type to act impulsively and did not want her to suddenly speak out. Jenny was not a student of the design institute but rather a finance major, just accompanying her to observe. "So, she really copied yours? No, we can't let her get away with this!" The thought of Xena bullying Haley for years and now even stealing her design made her furious. Who did she think she was, picking on others like this? Haley grabbed her arm, shaking her head. "It's not the time yet. Let's wait a bit longer." But Jenny did not want to wait! Not even
People were saying Haley was shameless for stealing her own sister's work, claiming Haley had no morals and did not deserve to stay at Jasper City University.Someone even suggested checking Haley's college entrance exam scores. How could a girl possibly break the previous highest record?Jenny was about to explode when she saw these comments.Having been best friends with Haley for so many years, she knew Haley better than anyone else.She knew better than anyone that Haley was actually the real victim.Every piece of her work was meticulously crafted by herself, not some kind of plagiarism or theft as claimed.She could not bear it, glaring angrily at Xena, and asked in a low voice, "Xena, is this something to do with you? Did you pay for the trending topic?"Xena smirked smugly, lips slightly curled, "Even if it was me, so what? Do you have any evidence to prove it was me? If not, I can sue you for defamation.""You!" Jenny was furious, wishing she could tear apart Xena's hy
Even the teachers were surprised that Haley would say such a thing.The teacher asked in astonishment, "Haley, are you mistaken? Xena, although not performing well before, her graduation project is outstanding."Haley opened her laptop and brought up the drawing software. She had a habit of saving her design drafts every so often. The software she used clearly showed the timestamps of each operation and every saved draft. Starting from a week ago, there were updates almost every day, with some details being modified. This was absolutely undeniable.Seeing this, the teacher fell silent, and other gossiping classmates also turned to look at Xena."Xena, while Haley has presented evidence, what about yours?" The teacher asked.Xena started to panic the moment Haley brought out her laptop. Where would she get a drawing draft? This design draft was originally stolen from Haley by bribing a helper from Violet Grove. However, the helper knew nothing about drawing software. Xena instruc
Someone scoffed, "Even if you're the school's beauty, you shouldn't just say anything, right?" Haley's lips still curled into a smile, neither humble nor arrogant. "The inspiration for this dress design isn't from Western mermaids, but from the most mysterious creatures in Eastern mythology, the merfolk. Legend has it that merfolk’s tears turn into pearls. Humans, driven by greed, began hunting merfolk..."Haley's voice was soft and melodious, evoking vivid imagery in everyone's minds. The first half of her narrative was sweet and romantic. But as it progressed, the image of merfolk being heartbroken and ultimately committing suicide, sinking to the ocean floor, involuntarily flashed in everyone's minds.Some sensitive girls could not help but sob."This piece is called 'Tears of the Merfolk.'"After Haley finished speaking, she looked towards the teacher who was standing dazed beside her, waiting for her judgment.The teacher snapped back to reality, could not help but rub his
The school being criticized was one thing, but what mattered most was Haley's identity! She was Shane's wife, the president's wife of the Ford Corporation. If their school did not handle this matter properly, knowing Shane's character, he would not let them off easily. The principal paced back and forth in his office, his mouth forming blisters from anxiety. He ran his hand through his hair, desperately thinking of a solution. After a while, several other school directors called one after another, urging him to quickly suppress the matter. Otherwise, this principal’s position would not last long. Suppressing his own worries, the principal hurriedly assured them, "Don't worry, I'm already working on a solution. Our school will never wrongly accuse any student." After soothing the directors, the principal quickly headed to the design institute's lecture room. He had to talk to Haley face-to-face now. He needed to make sure she stayed calm and did not escalate the situation further,
A woman in her forties, dressed in a housekeeping uniform, cried as she spoke, "I'll tell you everything! It was Miss Xena who found me and gave me money to sneak into the room and steal the sketches from Madam’s computer..."The helper wanted to describe in detail the appearance of the person who approached her.The principal, after watching the entire video, was so enraged he nearly fainted. How could someone be so malicious? Could anyone simply abuse others because they were not blood-related?He looked at Haley with a hint of pity in his eyes. He too had a daughter. Just the thought of his daughter being subjected to such slander, even in his imagination, made him explode with anger. He wondered how Haley had managed to get through all these years."Punishment! Severe punishment! Our school absolutely does not tolerate students with such moral corruption!"His words caused a commotion throughout the room. Both students and teachers looked at the principal in astonishment. Si
Since that day, the number of bodyguards at Violet Grove had multiplied several times, and Shane even had the latest security system installed at home. It was a top-of-the-line model with built-in defense mechanisms. If anyone unfamiliar tried to break in, the alarm would go off instantly. After hearing about how close Evangeline and Nicholas had come to being kidnapped, no one thought these precautions were excessive. In fact, they only wished more could be done."This is just despicable! I can’t believe Xena could be so vicious!""We were too soft on her before. Someone like that is just a waste of air."Shane and Haley remained silent, but their thoughts were the same.Shane reassured everyone, "It’s over. Xena will never have another chance to get out."Hearing this, everyone felt a bit more at ease."By the way, where are Mom and Dad? I don't see them," Haley asked, noticing that her parents were not around, though everyone else had gathered.Zac didn’t say anything but q
Just the thought of what could have happened made Haley’s heart ache unbearably.The nannies stammered for a long time but couldn’t describe the person who had approached them. All they could recall was that the person had been thoroughly covered and that it was a woman.Shane immediately called his assistant, instructing him to investigate as soon as possible.It was past 3 a.m., and Haley still sat at the edge of the bed, unable to close her eyes. Her eyes were red from exhaustion and worry.Shane wrapped his arms around her, whispering words of comfort, "Don’t be afraid, it’s all over now. Everything will be okay."Haley sniffled and nodded. "I know, but I’m still so scared. We were just in time. If we’d been any later…"Shane pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I won’t let anything like this happen again. Trust me."At that moment, Shane's assistant, Dean, walked in, dragging someone who was covered head to toe.The person stumbled, falling to their knees in front of Haley and
Late that night, Shane and Haley finally sent off the last guest. Haley leaned heavily against Shane, exhaustion written all over her face. "Ugh, no one told me getting married would be this tiring. I'm never doing this again."Shane chuckled. "Who else do you plan on marrying besides me?"Haley blinked innocently at him. "Who says you can't marry the same person twice? That's what they do in books and dramas."Shane sighed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and gently tapping her on the forehead. "You need to cut back on those dramas."Haley giggled, rubbing her forehead. "Hey, they’re useful! I’ve learned a lot from them."Shane raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What did you learn?"A mysterious smile curved on Haley's lips. "Not telling you. You'll find out if you ever make me mad."Seeing that she wasn’t going to spill the secret, Shane let it go. He bent down and suddenly hoisted Haley over his shoulder.Caught off guard, Haley yelped in surprise. "Shane, what are you doing?"
Jenny and Charlotte stayed behind to keep Haley company. Jenny teased her with a grin, "Can you believe we’re all getting married now? Back in college, we used to imagine what our future partners would be like."Haley shot her a sideways glance and retorted, "Not ‘we,’ just you. Bet you never imagined you’d end up with someone who’s nothing like your ideal type, huh?"Back then, Haley was still engaged to James Ford. Though James was far from a good guy, Haley felt obligated to honor her mother’s dying wish and marry him. She didn’t spend much time fantasizing about love. Jenny, on the other hand, practically lived in her romantic daydreams."Oh, so you’re teasing me now?" Jenny’s face flushed for a moment, then she lunged at Haley, pretending to tickle her.Haley dodged, laughing, and soon the two were playfully tussling. Watching from the sidelines, Charlotte couldn’t help but smile along with them.Soon after, the wedding officially began. The venue was packed with guests,
On the fifth of May, the wedding took place as planned.Shane had started preparing the venue two days in advance, meticulously arranging every detail himself. The expansive wedding grounds were filled with romance, from the long red carpet laid out on the lawn to the balloons adding a whimsical touch.Haley donned her wedding dress and let the stylists work their magic, crafting an exquisite look for her. Just then, Shane entered the room, standing behind her with a warm smile."You look absolutely stunning today, Haley. The most beautiful bride in the world," he said, admiration in his voice.Haley turned her head toward him, her face glowing with happiness. "Weren’t you busy greeting the guests? How did you find time to sneak in here?"Ignoring the people around them, Shane bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I stole a little break to come see you," he whispered playfully.At that moment, a teasing voice interrupted them from behind. "You two really can’t stop showi
After what felt like an eternity, Haley was nearly out of breath when Shane finally let her go reluctantly. However, even though his lips had only pulled away slightly, his hands still firmly gripped her waist."Do you like it?" he asked, his deep eyes filled with affection.Haley blinked innocently. "Like what?""Me," Shane replied with a playful grin, his gaze never leaving her face. "Do you like me?"Her cheeks flushed, and her heart raced as she bit her lip and looked up at him. "Why don’t you guess?"Shane chuckled and pulled her onto his lap. "I’d guess... you do."Caught off guard, Haley let out a small yelp and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, shooting him a playful glare. "You already knew, so why ask?"Her response only made Shane laugh harder. After a bit more playful banter, he held her close as they leaned back on the couch. Then he brought up their wedding. "I talked with Mom and your parents. We all agreed that our wedding will be held in a month.
Haley had always known how much Shane doted on Evangeline, treating her like the apple of his eye. But she hadn’t expected his protectiveness to reach such an extreme level. She couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated at the same time.Gently, she grabbed Shane’s hand and comforted him softly, "Alright, alright, don’t be mad. Hugo is only a month old. He didn’t mean any harm. If anything, it just shows how lovable our Evangeline is."Shane sat on the edge of the bed, the tension in his chest easing slightly, but he still couldn’t shake off all his frustration. In his mind, he made a firm decision that he would do everything in his power to protect his little treasure from now on. No one would be allowed to get too close to her again.From that day on, everyone noticed how Shane’s protectiveness over Evangeline had reached a whole new level. He barely let her out of his sight, as if he needed to be by her side 24/7. Anyone who dared approach her was met with a cold, pier
Jenny couldn't help but laugh. "You haven't seen this little guy when he's awake. He's a real handful. If you did, you'd probably take back all those compliments."When Hugo was awake, he was full of energy, and when he cried, his voice could shake the walls. Jenny looked at Nicholas and Evangeline, who were awake but contentedly sucking on their tiny fists, and said, "These two are so much easier. They’re quiet and calm, the more I look at them, the more I like them."Seeing the twins were awake, Haley quickly leaned over, gently poking their soft, chubby cheeks. "Awake already? You only napped for a little while."Nicholas stared up at Haley with his big eyes, silently taking her in. Evangeline, on the other hand, waved her tiny hand and let out a soft "ah," which nearly melted Henry and Jenny's hearts.Henry knelt beside the crib, unable to tear his eyes away from Evangeline. He playfully reached out to her, and when she giggled at him without fear, he adored her even more. "S
Haley took a small sip, smiling as she saw the eager look in Shane's eyes. "Mmm, it’s good.""Really?" Shane smiled as well, taking another spoonful for himself. He tasted it thoughtfully before nodding. "Yeah, it’s good. The seasoning is just right, and it’s refreshing. Even with the herbs, it’s not bitter at all."He quickly brought another spoonful to Haley’s lips, feeding her until the bowl was nearly empty.Seeing Haley’s good appetite, Shane tidied up the dishes and called Dean. "Tell the restaurant that all the chefs’ salaries are doubled this month."Dean was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered. "Got it. I’ll take care of it right away."As he hung up the phone, Dean couldn’t help but think, "When will it be my turn for a bonus?"As if Shane could read his thoughts, a low voice came through the receiver. "Haley’s pregnancy has been tough, and you’ve worked hard these past few months too. Your year-end bonus will be tripled, and you’ll get extra vacation days. Spend