William pretended not to see the wariness and rejection in Haley's eyes, smiling as he said, "Isn't Miss Haley always too wary of me? Don't worry, I won't do anything to you."Haley sneered, a look of derision flashing in her eyes. "You think I'd believe you?"If he truly meant no harm, why would he deliberately approach her and apply for a job at JY?William did not argue, simply saying, "All you need to know is that I won't intentionally target you. I genuinely want to help you through this tough time.""You talk like I owe you a huge favor. You're here for a job, I pay your salary. It's a straightforward employer-employee relationship. Don't make it sound like we're so close."Ever since realizing William's ulterior motives, Haley had been eager to stay as far away from him as possible.Hearing her words, William could not help but chuckle softly, his gaze on Haley becoming even more gentle. "You're just too cute, just like when you were a child."Haley's pupils constricted i
Even after they got together, William remained distant. They had not been intimate again, not even sharing a basic kiss. The only time they were close was when she hugged him, but he quickly found an excuse to leave. She was so immersed in the relationship that she did not notice anything unusual, assuming he was just busy.It was not until she stepped back and looked at their relationship objectively that she realized she had been the one putting in all the effort. William responded only when it was convenient for him and ignored her the rest of the time. She felt like a fool for holding onto unrealistic hopes about him.Seeing the people around them starting to watch, William frowned, his voice turning serious. "Jenny, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go to a nearby cafe."He reached out to take her hand, but she quickly stepped back, avoiding his touch. "What? Are you embarrassed now? Where was this shame when you were playing with my feelings?"His hand fell short, a flash
In a daze, fragmented memories suddenly flashed through William’s mind. Before they officially got together, he had met Jenny at a hotel. Back then, her cheeks were flushed, and she looked at him with shy, infatuated eyes. From that day on, she became increasingly proactive in asking him out and finding topics to chat about.With a loud "bang," something seemed to explode in his mind!Seeing William not speaking, Haley frowned and said sternly, "William, I don't care what your real intentions are, but Jenny is innocent. You shouldn't have deceived her feelings!"William snapped back to reality, his expression dazed. Without saying a word, he turned and left the company.Watching his departing figure, Jenny looked worried. "Haley, he seemed really out of it. Do you think something might happen to him?"Haley gave her a stern look. "What? After everything he's done to you, you’re still thinking about him?"Jenny felt a pang of sadness, her eyes welling up with tears as she lowere
In the past, Shane had never felt that Jenny's closeness with his wife was an issue. After all, they were best friends. Although he occasionally felt jealous, he always tried to control it, not wanting his possessiveness to restrict Haley's freedom to make friends.But today, what did he just hear? If Haley were a man, Jenny would want to marry her? That was his wife! His!Watching the two of them hugging tightly, their figures intertwined, Shane felt an unprecedented surge of jealousy. He could not help but clear his throat loudly, interrupting their conversation. Taking advantage of their momentary surprise, he quickly walked over and took Haley's slender wrist. He then subtly pulled her away from Jenny.Jenny, who had been having a heartfelt conversation with her sweet best friend, suddenly found her arms empty. She looked up to see Shane's cold eyes staring at her. Those deep eyes were filled with wariness and a hint of icy hostility.Instinctively, Jenny shrank back, f
She must be feeling really down right now. Whenever Jenny went through a breakup before, the two of us would go to a bar, get drunk, and cry it out. But now that she was pregnant, she could not drink. Who knew what she might do in her distress?Looking up at Shane, Haley said softly, "Mr. Ford, let's take Jenny home. I really can't leave her like this."Then she turned to Jenny and said, "Jenny, please, just let us help. Don't make me worry."Jenny could not refuse and nodded in agreement. She sneaked a glance at Shane's expression and felt relieved when she saw no signs of displeasure.Shane drove while the two girls chatted in the back. Haley leaned her head on Jenny's shoulder and asked, "What are you going to do about the baby? Are you going to keep it, or...?"Jenny, now broken up with William, faced the reality of raising a child without a father. She bit her lip, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "I don't know."A few days ago, discovering she was pregnant had filled Jen
In the end, Shane could only relent to Haley’s request. After all, what could he do with his little darling? Spoil her, of course!However, before the girls headed upstairs, Shane turned off the car. He unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out, walking over to Haley. He addressed Jenny, “Miss York, I need to speak with Haley alone for a moment.”“I get it, I get it. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone,” Jenny replied, winking playfully before quickly heading up without waiting for Haley’s approval.Standing there, Haley looked up at Shane, puzzled. “Mr. Ford, what do you want to talk about?”Gazing into her innocent, clear eyes, Shane’s expression grew slightly aggrieved. “Do you only see Jenny in your eyes?”Haley was momentarily stunned, then she realized Shane was jealous. She laughed softly, her tone filled with amusement. “Mr. Ford, you’re almost radiating jealousy. It’s so thick in the air, I can almost smell it.”“It’s because a certain someone has forgotten her husband as soon
"Alright, I should go up now.""Hmm," Shane responded softly, but he made no move to remove his hand from Haley's waist. He leaned in even closer, his hot breath fanning across her face, sending a wave of indescribable warmth through her.With a red face, Haley pushed against Shane's chest, finally managing to create some distance. "I’m going, okay?""Yes, go on up," he said, waving her off while standing there, watching her leave. Only when the elevator doors closed and her figure disappeared did he return to his car and drive away.Haley reached the apartment to find that Jenny had left the door unlocked for her. She quickly entered, slipped into her usual slippers, and walked inside. Suddenly, she heard muffled sobbing filled with deep sadness and pain. Quickening her pace, she headed to Jenny's room, only to find her sprawled on the bed. She was crying and gripping her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.The person on the other end of the line seemed to say something
Haley was full of helplessness. She had not expected William to be so heartless. She thought for a moment and asked, "Jenny, what are you going to do about the baby?"Jenny hung her head in silence, tears still glistening at the corners of her eyes. She seemed trapped in a negative emotional spiral she could not escape from. Haley was frightened by her state. She quickly touched Jenny's face and repeated her question, "Jenny, what are you going to do about the baby?"Jenny snapped out of her daze and looked at Haley. Her beautiful eyes were still clouded with self-loathing and despair. Realizing what Haley was asking, she forced a bitter smile. "I don't know. My mind is a mess right now. I really don't know anything.""Alright, if you can't think about it now, then we won't. Okay? Didn't you just start a new job? Let's talk about that instead of your feelings. Are you adapting well at your new company?" Haley suggested, trying to change the subject.Jenny's attention was successf
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