Haley quickly wrapped her arm around Jenny, playfully threatening, "Jenny, are you keeping secrets from me now? Spill it, what's going on with you two?"Jenny tried to play dumb. "What are you talking about? I have no idea!"Haley scoffed. "Don't even try that with me. I know you too well. Out with it!"As she spoke, she started to tickle Jenny, knowing exactly where she was most ticklish. As expected, it did not take long for Jenny to start begging for mercy."Okay, okay, I'll tell you!"Haley smiled triumphantly and withdrew her hands.Blushing, Jenny confessed, "Nothing's really happened between us yet. It's just... I think he's a really great guy, that's all."She wished something more could happen with Henry, but she knew her own situation. Henry was the eldest son of the prestigious Green family, while she came from a humble background with many poor relatives. Most importantly, she was pregnant, and she doubted any man could accept that.Haley frowned, falling silent. Th
Seeing his serious expression, Jenny could not help but laugh. "Alright, we really didn't argue. You go on now!"Henry looked at them suspiciously. "Really?""Really!" Haley and Jenny replied in unison.Henry finally breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. "I knew it. You two get along so well. How could you possibly have a fight?"Haley glanced at Henry with a smile and asked, "Why haven't I seen you with a date lately? You used to always have someone with you."Henry's heart skipped a beat. "What nonsense are you talking about? Do I seem like the type to fool around?"He quickly glanced at Jenny, worried she might get the wrong idea about his past.Oh no! If Jenny found out about his history with other women, his chances of winning her over would be even slimmer.Trying to change the subject, he said, "Stop spreading rumors about me. You used to follow James around all the time yourself!" Just as he finished speaking, he felt a chilling gaze on him. Turning around, he saw Sh
Seeing Haley speak so seriously, Shane could not help but chuckle softly. He placed his warm, broad hand gently on her head and said soothingly, "Alright, don't think about these unhappy things anymore. How about some dessert? I'll go get it."Following his gaze out the car window, Haley noticed a dessert shop on the roadside with its lights still on. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded, "Yes!""Wait here," Shane said as he got out of the car. After a while, he returned, carrying an elegant box."Look, your favorite strawberry cream cake," he said, handing it to her.Haley's face lit up with a sweet smile, her eyes full of delight. "Thank you, Mr. Ford!"She reached out to take it, but just as her fingers were about to touch the box, Shane playfully pulled it away. "Is a simple thank you enough?" he teased, raising an eyebrow.Looking into his eyes, Haley's intuition kicked in. She leaned over, cupped his face, and planted a kiss on his lips. The sound of the kiss echoed so
Shane was about to scold Haley but stopped when he met her wide, innocent eyes. In an instant, all his harsh words got stuck in his throat and turned into a resigned sigh.He relented, "Fine, one last bite."...On the other side of town, Henry was dropping Jenny off at her home. The car was parked outside her building, but he did not immediately open the door. He turned his head to look at the passenger seat. Jenny had fallen asleep, leaning back against the seat, her face peaceful and gentle. She looked so different from her usual feisty self, displaying a softer beauty that captivated Henry. Without thinking, he reached out to gently touch her cheek with his fingertip. A soft smile crept onto his lips as he murmured, "If only you were this well-behaved all the time."Just as his finger brushed her cheek, Jenny stirred and slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, their gazes locked.Jenny blinked in confusion, still groggy from sleep, not quite registering what was happening. H
James furrowed his brows, utterly confused. Just then, his phone rang again. It was an unknown number. Without thinking, he hung up. Moments later, a message came through from the same unknown number."Want to know where your mom is? Go to this address. She's there."James stared in surprise at the message. It was the address of an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Why would his mother be there? Filled with questions, he anxiously drove to the location.When he saw the scene inside the warehouse, he was stunned. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he let out a pained roar, "Mom!"He rushed forward, shoving the men who were assaulting Evelyn off her. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with rage and pain. Evelyn was barely conscious, mumbling incoherently, "Please, let me go... don't come near me..."James quickly took off his jacket and covered her naked body, his voice choked with emotion. "Mom, what happened? How did this happen to you?"Evelyn did not respond, her min
"What do you mean?" James asked sharply, lifting his head abruptly.William's expression was indifferent as he spoke slowly, "Haley is not Joe's daughter. If it weren't for your mother, Haley wouldn't exist."This revelation hit James like a bolt of lightning. His eyes widened in shock, filled with disbelief. "How is that possible? What did my mother do?" His voice wavered, losing confidence.No one knew his mother better than he did. He had heard her insult Yvonne countless times. Connecting the dots, he feared the truth was something he could not handle.But William was not going to let him off easy. He revealed everything, including how Evelyn, driven by jealousy, drugged Yvonne and conspired with strange men to rape her. He even divulged secrets that not even Shane knew, like how Evelyn had arranged Yvonne's car accident by bribing the driver and orchestrated incidents where Yvonne was harassed during social events.Most of the scandals linking Yvonne with various business t
After work, Haley went to the flower shop to buy a bouquet. She then instructed the driver to head to the cemetery. The Jasper City Cemetery was a bit secluded but had a serene environment, nestled between hills and rivers. It was a beautiful place and Haley had personally chosen this plot. If she had not discovered it in time, her mother’s body would have been buried in a random spot by Joe.Haley slowly knelt down, placing her mother's favorite flowers in front of the tombstone. "Mom, I'm here to see you."Mom, a lot has happened recently, and I’ve been through so much."I never knew how much you suffered while I wasn’t paying attention."I'm sorry, Mom. I found out too late... but don't worry, I've avenged you. Evelyn has paid the price, and even though Joe seems fine now, his health is deteriorating."..."Mom, I have to go. I'll visit you again soon..."As the sky darkened, Haley said her goodbyes to her mother and left the cemetery.While the driver was driving, Haley c
However, the driver was already slipping into unconsciousness, with a wound on his forehead. Ignoring her own pain, Haley quickly rummaged through the toolbox and found a rescue hammer. She struck the glass with all her might.With a loud crack, the glass splintered, giving her a glimmer of hope. She continued smashing the window until it shattered, then moved to break the driver's side window. Exhausted and feeling like all her strength was drained, Haley knew she could not give in to sleep.Drawing on some unknown reserve of energy and courage, Haley dragged the driver out and swam upward with all her might. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode by the time she reached the riverbank. Fortunately, some bystanders saw them and helped pull them out of the water.Haley lay on the pavement, gasping for air, her vision darkening until she lost consciousness. Just before she blacked out, she heard the urgent voices of the bystanders, "We've got them out! Call an ambulance!".
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