"Riley, I'm not feeling well. Let's go back," Xena said firmly, gripping Riley's hand and pulling her up as they prepared to leave.Just then, as the emcee on stage finished the last sentence and prepared to bid farewell, the principal suddenly looked in their direction. "Riley, hold on a moment. I need to ask you something."Riley's body tensed, and she looked to Xena for help. "Xena, what should I do? Do you think we've been found out?"Xena was also filled with fear. After all, the principal rarely paid any attention to them students. But with so many eyes on them, they couldn't pretend not to hear.She could only give Riley a meaningful look, urging her to act accordingly.The principal stood up, gave them a glance, and coldly said, "Come with me to the principal's office."With many students gathered here and the place bustling with activity, it wasn't a suitable environment to discuss matters. Furthermore, the principal had his own ulterior motives.Today, many influential
Riley vigorously shook her head, glaring at Haley with a mix of anger and resentment. "Principal, she's trying to frame us without any evidence. She's deliberately setting us up!""Oh, really?" Haley shot them a meaningful look, then gestured towards Shane standing behind her. "Mr. Ford, the phone."Shane casually retrieved his phone from his suit pocket and handed it to Haley.Xena and Riley watched in disbelief, their eyes wide with astonishment.During their journey here, Riley had learned of Shane's identity from Xena so she knew just how out of reach Shane was. In fact, since his arrival, Riley had been too intimidated to even steal a glance at him.But now, she was witnessing such an intimate exchange between Haley and Shane.She wasn't the only one frozen in shock. Xena was too.Confusion clouded her mind. When did Haley and Shane become so close? How had she been completely unaware of this before?Before she could dwell on it further, Haley had already started playing t
She hoped to catch Shane's attention this way, but when she looked up, she saw Shane gazing at Haley with a smile in his eyes.Shane didn't even notice Xena's tears. All his focus was on Haley.In Shane's eyes, Haley's irritated expression was downright adorable. He had to make a considerable effort to resist the urge to ruffle her hair.Witnessing this, Xena's tears began to flow uncontrollably.This time, she truly felt a deep sense of injustice.Why was it like this?Wasn't it said that men couldn't bear women's tears the most? She had been crying here for so long, so why hadn't Shane even spared her a glance?Even if he didn't look at her, it would be understandable. After all, Shane was famously cold-hearted. But why was he so fixated on Haley?What was going on between them?She bit her lip, feeling wounded and helpless. "Shane, maybe my sister is still upset with me. Could you help me talk to her and convince her to forgive Riley? She didn't mean to lock my sister up."
"Making mistakes should come with consequences, Riley. Do you realize how much harm you nearly caused to the school this time?" Riley's shoulders shrank sharply, feeling deeply aggrieved. She hadn't expected that her little prank would elicit such a strong reaction from the principal!The principal's voice turned stern. "Call your parents, and there will be disciplinary action."Riley, upon hearing this, lifted her head abruptly, her expression filled with panic. "No, Principal, you can't do this to me. After all, Haley wasn’t injured, was she?"The principal immediately sensed that she was oblivious to her mistake. He let out a cold chuckle as he reminded her, "Today is the school anniversary. Do you realize how many leaders are in the audience? You should count yourself lucky that Haley wasn't harmed."If the anniversary celebration was disrupted, he wouldn't be able to hold his head high for the entire next year.Riley's eyes welled up instantly. She hurried to the principal,
Meeting her clear and perceptive gaze, the principal felt as though his thoughts were being read. He chuckled awkwardly twice and echoed Haley's words, "We absolutely won't allow any student to suffer unfair treatment."Haley smiled and didn't say anything more. After exchanging a few brief words with the principal, they left his office together.Haley looked at Shane, her eyes filled with a smile. "Mr. Ford, thank you. If it weren't for you coming to my rescue, I wouldn't know how long I'd be kept in there."Shane stared at her face intently for a long time, then raised his hand and pinched her soft cheek. "What did I say? Already forgotten so soon?"Feeling the warmth of his touch on her cheek, Haley's cheeks flushed red instantly. She took two steps back abruptly, looking at Shane in confusion. Because she was so flustered, even her words became stuttered. "Mr. Ford, you, you shouldn't..."Shane raised an eyebrow, smiling as he asked, "Shouldn't what?"Haley stuttered, "You sh
Today, Xena felt deeply wounded after the humiliation from Haley. Upon returning home, she locked herself in her room, sinking into her bed, shedding tears of both frustration and sorrow.Why couldn't that foolish Riley handle things more discreetly? It left Xena unable to hold her head high in front of Haley, and she was sure the principal's opinion of her had plummeted.But what stung the most was Shane's behavior. Xena had assumed that, as a woman James deeply loved, Shane would afford her some respect. Yet, she never anticipated his cold indifference. What fueled her resentment even further was his preferential treatment of Haley.As Xena wallowed in her misery, her phone suddenly rang. Without bothering to check, she promptly ended the call. She was feeling annoyed now and didn't want to answer any calls. But unexpectedly, shortly after she hung up, the phone rang again, one after another, as if it wouldn't stop until she picked up.The ringing irritated Xena so much that
Zoe was setting the dinner table when she heard his remark. She looked up and playfully scolded him, "You're my husband, of course, I'll take care of you."Joe chuckled heartily, feeling content.Xena sighed with emotion, "Mom, Dad, your relationship is really amazing. When Dad wasn't around when I was little, I always wished for our family to reunite. Now it's finally happened."Joe recalled the past and felt a pang of guilt. He tightly grasped Zoe and Xena's hands, expressing, "I'm sorry for what happened before. I made you both suffer."Zoe shook her head, her eyes slightly teary. "Why bring up the past? It's all behind us now."After dinner, Joe noticed Xena sitting on the sofa lost in thought, her expression somewhat melancholic. He asked in confusion, "Xena, is something on your mind?"Xena snapped out of her daze, a hint of panic flickering in her eyes, but she vigorously shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong."Joe's suspicions were further confirmed by her evasive behavio
As Xena saw Joe about to dial, her eyelid twitched, and she intervened swiftly. "Hold on. There's no need for that. The Ford family has stepped in. Making a call won't change anything."If Joe proceeded with the call and got the truth from the principal, Xena feared it would only stir up trouble.She couldn't afford to let that happen."The Ford family?" Joe's hand paused as he dialed the phone, feeling somewhat surprised.Xena nodded knowingly. "Haley sought Shane Ford's help. Otherwise, how else would Riley end up facing disciplinary action?"Joe put down the phone, dismissing the idea of calling.At the same time, he felt a twinge of doubt.When had Haley connected with Shane? And why had she kept it from him?Zoe also felt uneasy and nudged Xena gently. "Xena, you should apologize to Haley tomorrow. Offending the Ford family wouldn't be wise."With Shane's influence in Jasper City, handling the Carter family would be a walk in the park.Joe, feeling displeased, questioned
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