Steven's gaze fell on the hand tightly clutching his pant leg, and he frowned slightly. Ignoring Evelyn's pleas, he shook off her hand and sat down on a nearby sofa. Despite his gaunt frame, he exuded an innate elegance, a stark contrast to the disheveled, almost skeletal Evelyn. It was as if they belonged to entirely different worlds.He began to speak, his eyes drifting as if lost in memory. "Do you remember when we first met? Your cheeks would always turn red whenever you saw me. I thought, 'What an interesting girl.'"Evelyn's eyelashes fluttered at his words, involuntarily recalling her younger self. From the first time she met Steven, she knew he was different. She had made up her mind to win him over, to marry into wealth and become the envied wife of a rich man. But how could someone like him, who had seen countless women, ever choose her? To achieve her goal, she had resorted to underhanded methods.Steven continued, "I never loved you, but since I married you, I fulfil
After the meeting ended, Haley briefly pointed out a few mistakes and areas for improvement before dismissing everyone.Layla gathered the meeting materials and placed them on Haley's desk. "Miss Haley, if there's nothing else, I'll head out for the day.""Okay, take care on your way home." Haley stayed a bit longer to finish some work. As she was preparing to leave and opened the door, she accidentally bumped into someone."Ouch..." Rachel clutched her forehead, wincing in pain. "What’s wrong with you? Why weren’t you looking? That really hurt!"Haley rubbed her own forehead, slightly exasperated. "I should ask you the same. What are you still doing here? Haven't you left for the day?"Feeling a bit guilty, Rachel stammered, "I... I was waiting to leave with you. My cousin said he'd be back late tonight, so... can I go home with you?"Haley was puzzled. "Isn't anyone home at my brother's place?"At this, Rachel puffed up in frustration. "Don't get me started. His place is so co
Shane's eyes flickered slightly as his fingers grasped the back of her head, leaning in for a kiss. Just as his lips were about to meet Haley's soft lips, a sudden exclamation interrupted them. "Hey! You two, could you maybe consider other people's feelings while you're flaunting your love?"Rachel covered her eyes with her hand, but not without throwing in her complaint.Shane paused, his movements halting as he turned to look at Rachel, his eyes now cold. "What are you doing here?"Haley blinked and explained, "Zac has work tonight and won't be home, and she was scared to stay alone, so I brought her here."Afraid that Shane might kick her out, Rachel quickly assured him, "I’ll just stay for one night, just one night, Mr. Ford. I promise I won’t cause any trouble. Please…"Shane shifted his gaze back to Haley. "Fine, but stay in your room tonight and don’t wander around."Rachel looked puzzled. "Why?"Haley immediately understood the implication behind Shane's words, her fac
After dinner, Shane and Haley took a walk in the garden before heading back to the bedroom. Shane grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom for a shower, while Haley sat on the sofa, opening her laptop to check for any emails. Just as she got started, her phone suddenly rang.Seeing the caller ID, she frowned slightly. James? Why would he be calling? Did something happen to Evelyn?After a moment's hesitation, Haley decided to answer the call. Her tone was as cold as ever. "What do you want?"James bit his lip, not speaking right away. After a long pause, Haley’s frown deepened. "If there's nothing urgent, I'm hanging up." Her time was valuable."Wait—" James quickly spoke, his voice filled with urgency and unease. Haley paused, her expression growing colder. "Just say what you need to say."James tightened his grip on the phone and said quietly, "Thank you for what you did for my mom.""There's no need to thank me. I already told you, I didn't do it for you."
"What did you say?" Haley shot up from the sofa, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.James closed his eyes tightly, then slowly lifted his head, tears glistening in the corners. "I'm sorry. I was too arrogant before. I only helped you once, and that was before Xena even joined your family."So every time Haley mentioned wanting to thank him, wanting to repay him, he assumed it was for that one time. At first, he found it amusing, thinking Haley was foolish for being so grateful over a small favor. Later, he started to enjoy the benefits that Haley's gratitude brought him. He got used to it, taking it all for granted. When he grew bored, he discarded her without a second thought.Back then, he never thought he was doing anything wrong. After all, he never asked Haley to be good to him. It was all her own doing, her own initiative. When he got bored, he carelessly cast her aside. It was only later that he realized he had stolen everything that rightfully belonged to some
Haley snapped back to reality, silently watching him. Her clear eyes were filled with complex emotions that he couldn't quite decipher."What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?"Haley's long eyelashes fluttered slightly as she wrapped her arms tightly around Shane's neck. The more she stayed silent, the more worried Shane became. He quickly pulled her into his embrace, his broad hand gently patting her back as he comforted her softly, "Don't be sad, my dear. I'm here."Hearing his tender voice, Haley's tears finally broke free, streaming down her face and landing on Shane's shoulder, their warmth seeping into his heart.Shane kissed her forehead, his heart aching for her, and spent a long time soothing her until she calmed down. Haley sniffled, refusing to leave his embrace no matter how much he coaxed. Her hands remained firmly wrapped around his waist.Shane smiled helplessly. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here with you. Now, can you tell me what happened?"H
Shane smiled, gently ruffling Haley's hair, and led her to the bed, holding her hand as if afraid she might run away. His anxious demeanor made Haley chuckle."Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."Shane, however, held her shoulders and had her sit on the edge of the bed while he slowly knelt down to be at eye level with her."Haley, about this... I didn't deliberately hide it from you. When you had the fever and lost your memory, I wasn't in great shape either. I was in the hospital, unconscious for a long time."Haley's eyes widened in surprise, followed by a wave of concern. Seeing the worry in her eyes, Shane felt a warmth spread through his heart and he shook his head with a comforting smile. "It's all in the past. Don't worry."He continued, "When I woke up, I found out that my engagement had been transferred to James. I rushed to find you, but what I saw was you clinging to James."At that moment, even though he didn't understand love, Shane's heart shattered. He went ho
Shane's heart warmed instantly, a small smile forming on his lips. "Good morning, my wifey."Haley looked up at him. "Do you have any plans for today?"Shane thought for a moment before saying, "If you want to do something, we can. If not, that's fine too."It was the weekend, and any work he had could wait until the evening.Haley thought for a moment, her eyes sparkling. "I need to attend a fashion show. Would you like to come with me?""A fashion show? Is one of JY's designers participating?"Haley shook her head. "No, it's hosted by another company. They sent me two tickets. If you have time, we can go together and maybe grab a meal out."Shane lightly tapped her nose with his finger. "Going out to eat is the real goal, isn't it?"Haley playfully stuck out her tongue and quickly got out of bed. "It's just that the food at home is so bland. There's no flavor."Shane shook his head, smiling. "That's because you're pregnant. The chef is avoiding heavy oils and salt for the he
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