"James, you're a jerk! I've sacrificed so much for you, and this is how you repay me?" Xena screamed, her voice loud and shrill. She was completely lacking the poise and grace expected of a lady of her standing. Instead, she came across as a common shrew.James looked at her with disappointment. How had he not seen this side of her before? "Are you done with your tantrum? If so, go back to your room!" he snapped, signaling the helpers, who immediately took hold of Xena and led her inside.Turning to Ria, James's expression softened with apology. "Miss Watson, I'm truly sorry. It's my fault for not managing Xena better."Tears streamed down Ria's face, but she maintained a composed demeanor. "It's okay, I understand. Miss Xena only acts this way because she loves you so much and sees every woman as a threat."James's guilt deepened at her words. "Regardless, this was unacceptable. Let me make it up to you. I'll take you out for dinner as an apology."Ria nodded happily and bid
Seeing Xena softening, James felt a brief moment of compassion. But he quickly hardened his resolve and said, "If you don't want to keep this child, you can get an abortion. If you decide to have it, I'll fulfill my responsibilities as a father."Xena was crushed, breaking into painful sobs. "James, how can you be so heartless? What did I do wrong?"James sneered, "Do I need to remind you of everything you've done? How long were you planning to deceive me? When you got together with me, it wasn't out of love. You wanted to use my position in the Ford family to get back at Haley."Xena's eyes widened in shock. "How did you find out?"She had initially approached James and used every trick in the book to seduce him, all to take away what belonged to Haley. But somewhere along the line, she had genuinely fallen for James."James, please, let me explain..." Xena pleaded.James shook off her hand and said coldly, "If it weren't for you, I might still be part of the Ford family. My p
Xena was already upset about the divorce, and this incident ignited her anger. "Stop trying to sow discord, you homewrecker! Get out of here!" Her mother was her father's legal wife. What right did this woman have to be here?Sue was not one to back down. As Xena charged at her, Sue grabbed Xena’s hair. "I'm a homewrecker? What about your mother? I'm young and beautiful, and I take good care of him in every way. Where were you when he was sick and needed someone?"Xena screamed in pain and retaliated by grabbing Sue’s throat. Sue quickly stepped back, hitting a bedside table with a bowl of hot chicken soup on it. The soup spilled onto Joe, scalding his skin.Joe felt a burning pain and the noise around him only made it worse. He shouted, "Enough! Both of you, get out!"The two women finally snapped out of it, horrified at the red burns on Joe's arm. They quickly ran out to get a doctor.After this incident, Xena still resented Sue but refrained from open confrontations. The divo
Layla's eyes widened in shock, and she swallowed hard. "A house in downtown?" She could not believe her ears. Even though she had not grown up in Jasper City, she knew how insanely expensive property was there. Was Dean really that impressive?She had always dreamed of owning a house in Jasper City, even if it was in a more remote area. As her mind wandered, she found herself thinking about Dean. Despite his stern demeanor, he was meticulous, considerate, and very caring. She recalled the day he picked her up from jail, how he had comforted her when she was completely shaken. But then she sighed. How could a man as outstanding as Dean ever be interested in someone like her? She felt too ordinary by comparison.Layla pressed her lips together, pushing those unrealistic fantasies aside. "Miss Haley, I appreciate your kindness, but I don't think it's a good idea. We're not from the same world."Even if they tried to be together, conflicts would inevitably arise. Knowing the lik
After work, Shane came to pick them up. Layla followed Haley downstairs and was surprised to see Dean there as well. Remembering what Haley had said, her cheeks instantly turned red.Dean noticed Layla right away.Seeing her head down, her cheeks flushed as if she couldn't bear to meet his gaze, he couldn't help but feel an urge to do something. His fingers gripped the steering wheel slightly, and he quietly clicked his tongue."She's so timid. But... she's really cute." Dean thought to himself.He had no idea how intense his gaze was. Even without looking up, Layla could feel his fiery stare on her.She shyly bit her lip. Why was he so direct? His gaze seemed to be melting her.Haley observed their interaction with a meaningful smile. She knew it!Layla couldn’t be indifferent to someone as outstanding as Dean. Just look at that blushing face, she almost wanted to pinch it.Shane, seeing Haley's expression, couldn’t help but laugh. He never realized his Haley had a knack for m
Haley noticed Shane staring at Jenny and tugged at his sleeve, "Mr. Ford, you're scaring her!"Shane shifted his gaze, the coldness in his eyes melting away like ice in the sun, leaving everyone else in awe. Shane's ability to switch moods was almost legendary.Henry cleared his throat, "Everyone, let's sit down. Jenny and I ordered a few dishes already, but feel free to add more if you want."Everyone quickly took their seats and ordered more dishes. Once the food arrived, they began to eat.Henry asked, "Haley, I heard you agreed to let Xena and Joe's girlfriend out of jail?""Yes," Haley nodded lightly.Jenny huffed, "If it were up to me, they would never get out. They were so awful to you! You shouldn't have gone easy on them!"Haley swallowed her food and explained, "It's not about being lenient. Joe had something I needed."Without those photos, Xena and Sue would still be in jail for a while. Sue, even though pregnant, couldn’t escape the consequences of her financial cr
After dinner, everyone was feeling quite full. Some were full from the meal, while others were stuffed with Haley and Shane’s blatant display of affection.Henry glanced at Haley and Shane with a miserable expression. Next time, he would not join them for dinner. He was definitely cutting ties. How dare they bully him, a single guy?His glare was so obvious that Shane noticed it and slowly turned his head, locking eyes with Henry. Henry blinked and quickly averted his gaze, looking everywhere except at Shane.Shane shook his head and redirected his focus. "Henry, you’re responsible for taking Jenny home. Since we’ve been drinking, get a driver.""Got it," Henry agreed with a nod.Jenny wanted to refuse but thought better of it. It was almost 11 PM, and being a pregnant woman, it was not safe for her to go home alone. In the past, she would not have worried, but now she had a baby to consider. She could not take any chances.After Henry and Jenny left, Dean drove Layla home be
In the hospital room, Joe was enjoying the gentle and caring attention from Sue. Despite being attached to 24-hour monitoring equipment, he was already content just to be out of that hellish prison. He looked at Sue with satisfaction in his eyes.Sue was exactly the kind of secretary he had handpicked. She was gentle, considerate, and reliable. Compared to Sue, Zoe was miles behind with her seemingly gentle but actually malicious nature.Joe's gaze slowly shifted to Sue’s slightly rounded belly, a gleam of hope flashing in his eyes. His greatest wish had always been to have a son. Unfortunately, Zoe and all the other women had only given him daughters. If Sue bore him a son, he planned to withdraw the money stashed in his overseas bank account and live a blissful life with his new family of three. As for Zoe, despite being with him for years, she had caused him plenty of trouble. That wretched woman had dared to fool around behind his back. It was an unforgivable sin. If he e
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