Zac opened his mouth, trying to say something, but in the end, he swallowed his words."It's nothing, just asking. Shane, I've got something else to deal with here, so I'll hang up now."Staring at the disconnected call, Shane frowned in confusion. With his years of understanding Zac, he sensed something was off. However, he could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong.He placed the phone back on his desk, gently massaging his temples as he leaned back in his chair to rest for a moment....On the other side, Zac slipped his phone into his suit pocket. He was about to return to the hospital room, when someone blocked his way."Zac, I'm warning you. If you have any sense, stop eyeing the inheritance. You're just an illegitimate child. What right do you have to be here?"The speaker was Ken Fisher, the only son from the third household of the Fisher family, who had always looked down on the illegitimate children.Especially Zac.Zac was too outstanding, too dazzling. Wherever he w
In Jasper City, Haley had just finished dinner with a business partner and was about to head back when she unexpectedly ran into someone."Haley, long time no see."Stella stood there with her arms crossed, looking at Haley with a mocking gaze. "It seems you've been doing quite well while I was away."Haley raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Stella? Weren't you sent back to the countryside?"At the mention of this, Stella's expression darkened instantly."You have the nerve to bring that up? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been sent to that backwater town!"Just thinking about the miserable days she spent there made Stella wish she could tear Haley to pieces. The roads were all unpaved, the house was a simple one-story, and the yard was filled with chickens, ducks, and geese. It was filthy beyond belief. Most importantly, her uncle's family hated that she did not do any work and called her lazy.In Jasper City, she was treated like a princess. She had
Haley took out her phone and called the driver.The driver's apologetic voice soon came through the receiver, "Madam, I'm really sorry. It's rush hour, and I'm stuck in traffic. Give me another ten minutes, I'll be there soon.""It's okay, no rush. Safety first," Haley said softly to reassure him.After hanging up, she stood in front of the restaurant, waiting for the driver. However, her mind kept replaying Stella's words."You are just a bastard with an unknown father…"Your mother had an affair while married. She's a shameless whore, a slut..."Haley closed her eyes tightly, her fists clenching as she struggled to control the surge of emotions within her.After a long while, a honking sound pulled her back to reality. She opened her eyes slowly, only to see Shane's car.Shane stepped out of the car, his tall figure approaching her until he stood right in front of her.Seeing Haley standing there dazed, he smiled slightly and waved a hand in front of her face. "What's wrong,
Shane gently kissed Haley's forehead, soothing her in a low voice, "Don't worry about it. Leave these matters to me, okay?"Haley nodded, not saying anything more.When they got home, Haley was still feeling down, so Shane instructed the chef to prepare some dessert. The chef quickly made Haley's favorite tiramisu.As soon as she received the dessert, Haley's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Mr. Ford!""Go ahead and eat, but only a little. Don't eat too much, or you might have trouble sleeping tonight."Haley nodded obediently and took a big spoonful. The taste of chocolate and cream filled her mouth, instantly lifting her spirits.Seeing her enjoy the dessert so much, Shane also smiled.Halfway through, Haley noticed a warm gaze on her. She looked up and met Shane's eyes. She gave him a sweet smile and offered a piece to his lips."Mr. Ford, you try some too."Shane was slightly taken aback but opened his mouth to take a bite. It tasted a bit too sweet for him, but seeing Haley's exp
Evelyn's expression changed dramatically, and she glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby. She finally exhaled a sigh of relief. She quickly covered Stella's mouth and whispered urgently, "Stella, are you trying to get me killed?"If Shane overheard any of this, he would come after her. She had experienced Shane's ruthless methods firsthand. He was practically a demon. If not for being Shane's sister-in-law, she wouldn't have been able to hold sway in the Ford family for so many years.This secret must never reach Shane!She warned sternly, "Listen to me carefully. Never mention this again. If anyone hears, we're both finished!"Stella did not understand why Evelyn was reacting so strongly, but seeing the serious look in her red-rimmed eyes, she reluctantly nodded. Fine, she would just keep quiet.After Stella left, Evelyn sat alone on the sofa in the living room, feeling anxious. What would she do if Haley complained to Shane? Evelyn was so distraught that she
Hearing a knock on the door, Shane did not look up. He simply called out, "Come in."As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open from the outside. Evelyn walked in with a stiff smile plastered on her perfectly made-up face."Shane, why did you ask me to come here?" she asked.Shane glanced up at her briefly, then gestured to the chair opposite him. "Sit."Evelyn sat down, her whole body tense. Shane did not speak immediately. Instead, he continued working on the documents in front of him. He flipped through the pages quickly, signing his name at the bottom of the last page.Time passed, but Shane still did not say anything, making Evelyn increasingly anxious.Finally, she couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up again, "Shane, you didn't call me here just to watch you work, did you?"This time, Shane finally looked up, placing his documents neatly to the side. He clasped his hands casually on the desk."Why do you think I asked you to come here?" he said, his to
Shane's eyes stared intently at Evelyn without saying a word. His gaze made her increasingly uneasy, a sense of foreboding rising within her.True to her fears, the next moment, Shane took out his phone and made a video call. The call was quickly answered, and her brother and sister-in-law appeared on the screen, looking excited. "Mr. Ford, you're such a kind person, finding us such a big house. Thank you so much!"Yes, we've never lived in such a nice place in our lives!""Brother, Sister-in-law? Where are you?" Evelyn's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.Her brother and sister-in-law grew even more excited when they saw her. "Evelyn, we're in Jasper City! The people here look down on us because we don't have degrees and skills, but thanks to Mr. Ford, we have a place to stay!"Originally, they had decent jobs despite living in the countryside. Even though they had not finished elementary school, Evelyn had used her connections to get them government jobs. But they were gre
"Victim?" Shane looked at Evelyn as if he had heard the funniest joke ever, his gaze dripping with sarcasm. "You think you qualify?"Evelyn was overwhelmed by Shane's powerful and intimidating presence, making it hard for her to breathe. Nervously, she swallowed and said, "What, do you think I'm wrong? Ever since Yvonne came into the picture, your brother has been neglecting home more and more. Do you know how much I suffered during that time?"Shane's expression darkened, his eyes simmering with anger. He pulled a document from a nearby drawer and threw it in front of Evelyn."Take a good look. Yvonne never had any inappropriate behavior with my brother.""Impossible!" Evelyn grabbed the document and started to read. The events dated back 20 years, so the information might not be complete. However, it showed that whenever Yvonne and Steven were together, others were always present. Even when Steven tried to give Yvonne a ride home, she refused. In short, nothing inappropri
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