After work, Haley immediately called the driver and headed to the agreed location. Jenny had chosen a high-end restaurant with a serene environment and a great atmosphere. When Haley arrived, Jenny was already there, ordering food. Haley walked over, sat down, and asked with a smile, "Busy lady, what made you decide to invite me to dinner today?"Jenny looked up and gave her a sidelong glance, "You, the CEO of a listed company, are calling me busy?"Haley thought of the stack of unfinished documents waiting for her and slumped her shoulders, leaning into Jenny's arms. "Jenny, I'm so tired!"Jenny quickly patted her back, consoling her, "If you don't want to do it, then don't. Your husband has plenty of money. He won't let you suffer."Haley pouted, "But it's not the same. I want to achieve something on my own."She did not want to be a woman who relied solely on a man.Jenny opened her phone's selfie mode and aimed it at Haley's face. "But you need to take care of yourself fi
The two exchanged disdainful looks and turned away from each other.Haley glanced at Jenny, then at Henry, feeling like something was off. She looked questioningly at Zac.Zac's lips curved into a barely noticeable smile as he lowered his voice, "If he didn't like her, he wouldn't even look at her."In other words, Jenny was special to Henry.Haley was stunned for several seconds, her eyes gradually filling with disbelief.Jenny and Henry? How could that be? They seemed like two people who would not even cross paths.Unaware that his friend had sold him out, Henry thought he had hidden his feelings well. After saying goodbye to Haley, he left with Zac, looking almost childishly naive.Haley watched Jenny, hesitant to speak. She could not imagine that a man like Henry, who was known for being a ladies' man, could actually have feelings for Jenny.She tentatively asked, "Jenny, why do you and Henry always clash whenever you meet?"Jenny sneered, "He's the one who always picks on
Haley calmly smiled and said softly, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it. Shane just happens to like me."This remark hit Stella right where it hurt the most. All her life, she had taken pride in her looks and having an aunt married into a wealthy family. She was always the one being pursued and admired. She had only ever faced setbacks from two people. One was Shane, and the other was Haley. In front of Shane, her beauty had no effect. No matter how much she tried to seduce or hint at him, Shane would not even spare her a glance. What she could not get no matter how hard she tried, Haley received effortlessly. How could she not hate her?Stella sneered, "Haley, Shane likes you only because of your looks. Can you guarantee he'll love you forever?"Stella knew men well and understood their inherent flaws. Many men were never satisfied with what they had. How could a man as powerful as Shane be content to devote himself to just one woman for life?Thinking about this, she
Stella watched them leave, arm in arm, and could not help but grind her teeth. Her eyes were filled with barely contained anger and jealousy. She made a note of today's grudge. Soon, Haley would learn the consequences of crossing her. Thinking about her next move, a malicious glint flashed across Stella's face.Meanwhile, Haley and Shane returned to the car. Haley stretched lazily and leaned against his shoulder. "Mr. Ford, what brings you here?"Shane replied with a straight face, "I happened to be in the area for business."Sitting in the driver's seat, Dean could not help but twitch at the corners of his mouth. Who was it that, upon hearing where Mrs. Ford would be dining, immediately canceled a client meeting and rushed over? His boss had truly mastered the art of lying with a straight face. Dean could not help but admire him.As he was thinking this, a sudden chill swept down his spine, making him shiver violently. Dean instinctively glanced up at the rearview mirror an
Shane coldly retorted, "Do you think I'm joking with you?"Henry forced a laugh and quickly shook his head. "Of course not. I'm just a bit surprised, considering she's technically your niece-in-law."Shane's lips curled into a cruel smile, and his words were even more ruthless. "She's nothing. Anyone who dares to touch Haley will regret ever being born."Even over the phone, Henry shivered. Shane was still as vindictive and merciless as ever, unchanged in his ruthless demeanor. Shane had never been a good person, only restraining himself in front of his grandmother and Haley.Taking a deep breath, Henry assured, "Leave this to me. I'll make sure she regrets it.""Good," Shane replied coldly before hanging up.---Late at night, Xena left the bar with her friends, saying goodbye as they all prepared to head home. Ever since that huge fight, James had not come home. No matter how many times she called, he did not answer.At first, she did not worry too much. She was confident i
Xena glared at the driver with disdain and contempt. "With driving skills like that, you should just quit. Do you know how important I am? If anything happens to me, can you afford to pay for it?"The driver apologized again, "I'm sorry, Miss Xena. I'll be more careful from now on.""You better be, or I'll make sure you regret it!" Xena snapped. The driver nodded repeatedly and drove much more steadily for the rest of the trip. Xena smirked in satisfaction, raising her chin proudly.However, she did not notice that the driver had taken a route leading to a desolate area on the outskirts of the city. About ten minutes later, the road became bumpy again. Xena's eyes flew open as she yelled at the driver, "Do you even know how to drive? If you can't, get out!"But she suddenly realized something was wrong. This was not the way to her home. It was pitch black outside except for the car's headlights illuminating the path ahead, which appeared to lead into a forest. The road was so nar
Hearing her mutter to herself, the driver could not help but laugh. Did she think everyone was blind? With their boss around, there was no way their madam would ever consider someone like James. Only Xena would treat such a worthless man as if he were a treasure.The driver’s lips curled into a mocking smile as he lowered his voice and asked, "I heard you recently paid off a truck driver to stage an accident?"Xena's pupils dilated with shock and her eyes were filled with disbelief. "How do you know that?"Realizing what she had just admitted, she quickly covered her mouth and stared at the driver with suspicion. That truck driver had died at the scene, leaving no evidence. This man must be trying to trick her!The driver scoffed, his eyes filled with disdain and ridicule. Did she really think she could outsmart their madam with such a low IQ? Was she looking for death?"What do you think James would do if he found out you orchestrated that accident?" he asked.At the mention o
"I know I was wrong. I swear I'll never do it again!""Forgive you? Who’s going to spare our madam? The only reason you were able to marry James is because of her kindness. Otherwise, do you think you'd still be alive to see tomorrow?"Xena was sobbing uncontrollably, her meticulously applied makeup smudged and her hair disheveled, making her look like a ghost. At this moment, her only thought was survival."I truly know I was wrong. Please, let me go. I promise I’ll never do anything to hurt Haley again!""The most worthless thing in this world is a promise. Why should I believe you?"Xena sniffled, feeling aggrieved, and asked, "What do you want me to do?""Publicly apologize to our madam and turn yourself in to the police," the man said calmly.Xena refused immediately, not even considering it. "No, that's absolutely impossible!"She thought to herself, "Bow down to Haley? Not in this lifetime! Haley was nothing, unworthy of my apology!"The man laughed coldly, roughly push
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