"This is too much to bear. I'm afraid Haley won't be able to handle it," Shane said, his voice heavy with worry.Mrs. Ford Sr. glared at Evelyn, her voice cold and filled with fury. "Yvonne had no grudges against you. Why did you do this to her?"Evelyn opened her mouth to defend herself but, recalling the evidence Shane had shown her, she found herself at a loss for words. She slowly lowered her head, a look of sorrow and pain in her eyes.She did not want things to be this way. As a woman, she understood how important a woman's reputation was. But she felt forced into it. Steven did not love her and she was just trying to protect her marriage. Was that really so wrong?Seeing her unrepentant expression, Mrs. Ford Sr.'s eyes filled with tears. She turned to the butler and said, "Call Steven. We will meet at the district court in half an hour."The butler, understanding the severity of the situation, quickly went to make the call. Evelyn, hearing this, looked up in shock and dis
The efficiency at the district court was impressive. Within ten minutes, the paperwork was completed. Feeling utterly defeated, Evelyn stopped struggling and emitted a sense of despair.After receiving the divorce certificate, Steven released his grip on her and walked away without looking back. Evelyn's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at Steven's cold and indifferent back, her heart turning icy. "Steven, don't go... don't leave me!"She couldn't believe that after more than twenty years together, Steven could be so heartless. But no matter how much she called out, he never turned back.For years, Steven had been blackmailed by Evelyn, forced to do many things he did not want to. He had long since had enough. Now that he had the photos, no one could threaten him anymore. The shackles that had bound him were finally gone.As he walked out of the district court, Steven felt a weight lift off his shoulders.Shane gently patted
Shane's eyes flickered slightly, quickly masking his complicated emotions. "I just got here. Get in the car."Haley quickly circled around and got into the passenger seat, smiling as she suggested, "I heard from some employees that a new Japanese restaurant opened up recently. How about we go there for dinner?"Shane nodded. "Alright."Haley stared at Shane for a moment, her gaze probing. Noticing her look, Shane raised an eyebrow. "Why are you staring at me like that?"Haley pouted slightly. "I feel like something's off with you today. Come on, are you hiding something from me?"Shane chuckled. "Of course not. What's the name of that restaurant? I'll set the GPS."Haley did not notice Shane's attempt to change the subject and quickly pulled out her phone to find the restaurant's name. Once they had the directions, Shane turned the car around and headed towards the restaurant.The dinner was delightful, and afterward, Haley leaned back in her chair with a satisfied sigh. "Eati
Standing beside Haley, her assistant, Layla, fumed, "Who could be so nasty to do something like this?"The designers and other staff were nearly in tears. "The fashion show is about to start. What do we do now?"They understood better than anyone the importance of this fashion show. If it failed...Haley took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. She addressed everyone, "Take photos of all the damaged areas. Layla, check the security footage to see if anyone suspicious came into this room. Leave the rest to me."Her firm tone and calm demeanor inexplicably reassured everyone. They quickly followed her instructions, feeling more grounded.After the staff took the photos, Haley instructed, "Bring me some needle, thread and a pair of scissors."The staff promptly fetched the items. Haley stared at the damaged areas on the clothes for a long time. Then she took out a needle and thread, and with quick, skillful hands, she embroidered a white magnolia over the tear.Her movemen
"By the way, did you check the surveillance? Did you find anyone suspicious?" Haley asked.Layla shook her head. "Only our staff were in and out, no outsiders."That left only one possibility. It was an inside job.Haley's eyes narrowed, her expression growing serious. Who would sabotage their fashion show on such an important day?Layla, fuming, said, "It's just too much! Why do some people always have to ruin things? Don't they have anything better to do?"Haley gently ruffled Layla's hair, soothing her. "Alright, don't get upset. The fashion show is about to start in ten minutes. Go and get ready."Feeling the warmth from Haley's touch, Layla swallowed her remaining complaints and left obediently. The other staff members also returned to their tasks.Inside the venue, almost every seat was taken. The audience eagerly watched the stage, while reporters prepared their cameras for the event.Soon, the lights in the venue dimmed. When they came back on, Haley stood at the center
Shane cast a brief, indifferent glance at Henry before opening the photo album on his phone and selecting the most recent photo. It was a clear shot of his side-profile. With a swift tap of his slender fingers, Shane deleted the photo and tossed the phone back to Henry."Behave yourself, or I'll expose all the dirt I have on you sooner or later."Among friends, it was common practice to hold onto each other's embarrassing moments. More accurately, Shane had a considerable amount of dirt on both Henry and Zac. Whenever they tried to poke fun at Shane, they were caught and forced to delete their attempts. Thinking about all the years he had been under Shane's thumb, Henry felt tears welling up in his eyes. He lamented, "Why am I so unlucky? Not only do I not have a girlfriend, but I’m also constantly oppressed by Shane! It's just so unfair!"Shane ignored Henry's resentful look and focused back on the stage, a wave of pride swelling in his heart. His wife was becoming more and
After the fashion show, Haley returned backstage and collapsed on the couch without even taking off her makeup. She was utterly exhausted. The constant stress of the past few days had taken its toll, and as soon as she relaxed, all the fatigue and sleepiness hit her at once. With her eyes tightly shut, she fell asleep in less than a minute.When Shane walked in, this was the scene he saw. He squatted down slowly, looking at Haley with a tender expression. Layla, who had followed him in, looked a bit nervous. Even though Shane had softened his usual intimidating demeanor, Layla couldn't help but feel scared."Mr. Ford, Miss Haley is..." Layla began to say."Shh..." Shane glanced back at her, placing his index finger over his lips to signal her to be quiet so as not to wake Haley.Layla quickly closed her mouth. Seeing this, Dean gently pulled her out of the room.Layla looked at him in confusion. "Dean, why did you bring me out? I still have a lot of things to report to Miss Ha
"James, between me and Haley, who do you love more?""Of course, it's you, my dear. Haven't my actions proven it enough? Hmm?""But, I want to hear you say it yourself.""Darling, you are the woman I love the most. Relax, you're too tense..."The man's suppressed heavy breathing, mixed with the woman's seductive moans, soon filled the hotel suite.Haley Carter stood outside the slightly ajar door, her blood almost freezing, unable to stop trembling from the piercing cold. An hour ago, someone sent her a video clip. In the video, her fiancé, James Ford, was passionately kissing her half-sister Xena Carter in the corridor of this hotel. She initially thought it was a prank, but she never expected that these two had long been involved with each other.She took a deep breath, trying to restrain the anger surging in her chest. Quietly, she took out her phone from her pocket and pushed the door open.The two on the bed were still immersed in their intense pleasure when suddenly they