Dean choked on his own saliva and started coughing violently. "Madam, please don't say such things. I was just making a casual comment!" he stammered.Haley remained silent for a moment. If it weren't for the fact that she saw his ears turning red, she might have believed him."What's there to be ashamed of admitting? She might not even like you back. But let me remind you, our Layla has a lot of admirers. If you don't seize the chance, you might regret it later!"Dean never expected that coming to help out would make him the subject of teasing. His face flushed red with embarrassment."Madam, please don't tease me anymore.""Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. If you help me solve this problem, I'll ask your boss to give you a raise."Dean's eyes lit up instantly. He muttered to himself, "Madam is the best! Heaven knows how long he's been waiting for this raise. Is it finally going to happen?"He looked at the strings of code on the computer screen with a fiery gaze,
Zoe picked up her phone and glanced at it. Her pupils suddenly constricted, and disbelief filled her eyes. An anonymous account had sent her an email, filled with intimate photos of Joe with another woman. Not only were there photos of them hugging and cuddling in public, but there were also some private bedroom pictures. She could recognize Joe's face anywhere, even if he turned to ashes. As for the woman, she recognized her too. It was Sue, Joe's former secretary.This woman was young, beautiful, and had a gentle personality. She seemed very approachable. Every time Zoe visited JY, Sue would take care of her meticulously, without any mistakes. Initially, she did not like having a woman around Joe, but she was worried that being too overbearing would annoy him. Who would've thought Joe had been secretly involved with this woman all along? Unbelievable!Zoe gathered herself and continued reading. When she saw that Joe had given Sue a luxurious villa, she could not hold back h
Sue was in so much pain that tears were about to fall from her eyes, but she could not utter a single word of rebuttal. She clutched her belly tightly and took a step back, terrified that Zoe might harm her baby.This action deeply stung Zoe. For years, her greatest wish had been to give Joe another son, securing her position in the Carter family. She had hoped her son would eventually inherit JY. Unfortunately, her body had failed her, and she had not been able to bear a son. This had always been her deepest sorrow. But to find out now, while she was feeling guilty for not giving Joe a son, that he had been unfaithful and fathered a child with another woman? She could not tolerate this!Although this floor was mostly empty except for the CEO's office and the secretary's office, gossip spread quickly. Many bold employees had snuck upstairs upon hearing about Zoe's furious arrival. They crowded the hallway, peeking out curiously.As they eavesdropped, they heard some explosive
After speaking, Haley quickly reached out to grab Zoe's hand. She had intended to use Zoe to teach Sue a lesson, but she never meant for Sue to get seriously hurt. After all, Sue had worked for her for so long. If something happened because of her decision, she would never forgive herself.The employees, hearing the command, immediately rushed over to break up the fight. Zoe was pulled back by several people, struggling fiercely as she was dragged away."Let go of me! I'll tear that little slut's mouth apart!"Get away from me! Anyone who touches me will regret it!"Despite her shouting, it was of no use. Sue, supported by her colleagues, held her belly in fear, worried about the baby inside. The doctor had said there was a good chance the baby was a boy, and she needed to take care of herself. Once Joe came back, the three of them could be a family. Thinking of Joe, Sue felt that any humiliation she suffered was worth it.But then, suddenly, something unexpected happened. Z
Shane gently rubbed Haley's hair and spoke softly, comforting her. "It's human nature to look out for their own interests. Although Sue was never given an official status, Joe has always treated her well. It's understandable that she would work for Joe."Haley nodded, still feeling down. Shane did not say anything more, simply waiting for Haley to process her emotions and come to terms with everything on her own. This experience was a necessary part of her growth, something she needed to understand slowly. Even though the process might be painful, it was the only way for her to truly transform.He could have handled everything himself, keeping Haley completely sheltered, but that wasn’t what she wanted. She was not a clinging vine that depended on others to survive. She was a rose that had walked through thorns. She wanted to climb higher and see further, which meant she had to face these challenges. Otherwise, she would fall even harder in the future.After a while, Haley fin
In addition to their stunning looks, Shane and Haley were dressed impeccably. Although the brands weren't obvious, it was clear their clothes were expensive.As a result, many people in the restaurant kept glancing over at them with curiosity and gossip in their eyes. Some even took out their phones to snap photos and record videos.Haley was used to this kind of attention, so she just glanced around briefly before returning her focus to the table. Shane, however, frowned. He wasn't worried about his photo being posted online. He just disliked being stared at. Normally, he would book a private room for dining. However, this small restaurant did not have any, so they had to sit outside.Shane's eyes scanned the room with a cold, sharp gaze which was full of intensity and authority. Many people, intimidated by his strong presence, quickly looked away. Satisfied, Shane poured Haley a cup of tea and waited for the food to be served.Haley rested her chin on one hand and scrolled th
Two days later, Sue's condition had stabilized. Lying in her hospital bed, she was scrolling through the day's news and saw that Zoe had been taken away by the police for investigation. A smile spread across her face, and she even started humming a tune, feeling quite cheerful.Gently stroking her belly, she murmured, "Baby, Mommy has finally removed a major obstacle for you. When your daddy comes out, our family will be reunited."What made her even happier was that JY had fallen into a new crisis. Haley would be too busy to deal with her. Once Joe got out of prison, he would surely be able to take back control of JY. The child in her belly was likely Joe's only son. The inheritance of JY would naturally fall to her son.As for Haley, she was just a stepping stone. That was why Sue had insisted on staying at JY, disguising herself to gain Haley's trust and gather dirt on her. Thinking of all she had done, Sue felt even more delighted.Everyone praised Haley for being beautiful
"The leak of our design drafts was also your doing. We have already restored the surveillance footage deleted by you.""Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!" Sue's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. In her mind, even though Haley was smarter than expected, how could the deleted footage be restored? Haley must be lying to her! That had to be it!Seeing Sue's disbelief, Haley shook her head slightly and played the video on her phone. "Sue, you were too hasty. You forgot that there are many skilled hackers in this world. Your deletion techniques are child's play to them."Sue stared at the surveillance footage on Haley's phone, her legs suddenly giving way as she collapsed to the ground. The police seized the moment to step forward and take her away.Before leaving, Sue turned around, choking back tears, and asked, "Why? Why are you doing this to me? Haley, I should never have shown you any mercy!"Haley scoffed, "Mercy? You didn't have t
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