Luna, known for her strong personality, did not change her attitude regardless of the other person's status. At this moment, her stance was unwaveringly firm.Louis opened his mouth to say something but ultimately stayed silent. Luna was right that he had no evidence to prove Haley had cheated. Yet, he remained convinced it was impossible to produce such an outstanding piece in just half an hour. Even as a top designer with over 20 years of experience, he doubted he could achieve that.How could a 20-year-old girl like Haley do it?When the judges' scores were announced, the other judges gave Haley's work scores of 9 or even perfect 10s. Only Louis gave a score of 2.Haley was momentarily stunned when she saw Louis's score. Just as she was about to speak, a staff member asked, "Mr. Louis, could you explain why your score is so different from the other judges'?"Louis sneered and said, "Maybe my standards are different. In my view, a piece created through cheating is worthless."
"What are you so proud of, Haley? It's just empty talk!" Stella thought to herself. Stella could not believe that someone as young as Haley could genuinely be that skilled. Even industry veterans would not dare claim they could produce an outstanding design in just half an hour. Why should Haley be any different?A judge in the audience asked, "Miss Haley, can you tell us if you cheated?""No, I did not," Haley replied firmly.Louis sneered and spoke in a harsh tone, "Creating such an excellent design in half an hour? That's impossible."Despite the skepticism, Haley remained unruffled. She calmly replied, "Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't.""You...!" It was the first time Louis's professional ability had been questioned openly, and he was furious. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "You're a rookie in this industry. How could you have such skills? Are you just trying to create a buzz for your company?"The audience erupted in murmurs again, a
Although the contestants were already exhausted and reluctant to continue competing, some held onto the hope that if Haley really had cheated, the additional competition would expose her. The design competition strictly prohibited plagiarism and cheating. Anyone caught would be disqualified and banned for three years. This was a huge temptation for those who wanted to win.After much deliberation, most of them agreed to the additional round. Only Stella's face turned pale when she heard about the new competition."I disagree! Why should we all suffer for one person's mistake?"Haley narrowed her eyes slightly, her cool voice tinged with a hint of coldness. "I am the victim here, am I not?""Don't change the subject. We just finished one round and are already exhausted. We're not in the best condition to compete again.""I am also exhausted. Besides, I completed two design sketches in the same amount of time, so if anyone should be more tired, it should be me, right?"Stella sta
Louis stared intently at the sketch, mumbling, "Impossible, how is this possible?"He had always held himself in high esteem, believing he was the cornerstone of the industry, the pinnacle of talent. Many begged him to design clothes, but he rarely obliged, feeling he had the right to be selective.But now...Louis's face burned with humiliation.Luna, seeing his expression, added insult to his injury. "Mr. Louis, it seems even you can make mistakes. Your chosen designer... her performance was quite disappointing this time."Louis glanced at Stella's work, his expression growing even darker. Although she had completed her design, it was clear that it lacked any standout features. Her background in jewelry design was evident, as her habits had influenced her sketch, making it look awkward and mismatched.The judges examined the sketch and shook their heads in disappointment. This was too poor. Comparing it to the previous design, it was like night and day.Hearing the judges' cri
Everyone accepted Haley as the winner without any objections, having witnessed her extraordinary talent firsthand. Even Louis, fell silent unwillingly.At that moment, a deep, cold voice echoed from the audience, “Before the competition ends, I have something to say.”All eyes turned to the source of the voice, and when they saw Shane’s stern face, they were stunned."Mr. Shane Ford?"The judges frowned, unsure of his intentions. Professor Wood glanced at Haley on stage before asking, "Mr. Ford, could this wait until the competition ends?"Shane glanced at him briefly, his lips barely moving as he replied, "No."Professor Wood wiped the sweat from his brows, asking, "So, what does Mr. Ford intend to say?"Shane stood up and made his way to the stage, his imposing presence causing the room to fall silent. Everyone watched in confusion, including Haley.Shane stopped in front of Haley and looked toward Louis. “I heard this competition prides itself on fairness and integrity, with
Haley sniffled and nodded softly. "Yes, I'm happy."It was not the apologies that made her happy, but rather the fact that she had met Shane in her life.Shane pulled her into his arms and addressed the audience, "I accept your apologies on behalf of my wife, but beyond that, I expect the competition organizers to provide an explanation to all the contestants."The organizers exchanged confused glances, unsure of the meaning behind his words.Shane continued, "My wife has proven her abilities through a second round of competition. Now, what about those who truly cheated? What consequences should they face?"His words sent a shockwave through the crowd, reigniting the tense atmosphere. Everyone turned their puzzled gazes toward Shane.Louis could not sit still any longer. He yelled at Shane, "Mr. Ford, what on earth are you talking about? Please don't delay our award ceremony any further!"Shane, uninterested in arguing, gave Dean a quick signal. His deep voice was laced with col
Professor Wood who was always a man of integrity, was so furious. His chest heaved as he pointed at Louis and scolded, "How could you be so foolish? Cheating is absolutely forbidden. You're ruining your own future!"Louis, unable to lift his head, pressed his lips together and remained silent. He had acted impulsively, fueled by alcohol and Stella's overly enthusiastic advances that night. In the heat of the moment, he agreed to everything. Although he had regretted it afterward, it was too late to turn back.Stella was equally terrified, her face pale and almost devoid of color. The disapproving and disgusted looks from the audience told her that everything was over. She had come here simply to take revenge on Haley, but instead, she had destroyed her own reputation.Lost in her thoughts, she was suddenly jolted by an icy, stern voice announcing, "After a unanimous decision by the organizers and judges, Stella is disqualified from the competition, and Mr. Louis will no longer be em
Shane laughed softly as he ruffled her hair. "Things will only get better from now on.""Yeah, I think so too."Haley nestled into his arms, her slender arms wrapping tightly around his waist as she snuggled closer. She only felt this relaxed when she was with Shane.Shane tightened his hold on her, thinking to himself that the collaboration between Ford Corporation and JY needed to be expedited. Otherwise, his image in his wife's heart might get overshadowed.When they got home, Haley was surprised to find guests waiting for them. As soon as she stepped through the door, a chorus of cheers erupted, "Welcome home, our winner!"Immediately following, a "bang" resounded as confetti rained down on Haley and Shane.Haley blinked, turning to Shane. "Mr. Ford, did you plan this?"Before Shane could reply, Henry spoke up, displeased. "Hey, hey, hey, Haley, don't be too biased. It was Zac, Jenny, and me who planned this. It has nothing to do with a certain someone!"As soon as he finis
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