Haley's smile widened, gratitude shining in her eyes as she looked at Shane. "Mr. Ford, thank you for standing up for me. Since my mother passed away, no one has been this kind to me."Shane's gaze shifted slightly as he settled down beside the bed, his eyes deep and intense. After a brief silence, he spoke slowly, "So, is there any payback?""Hmm?" Haley blinked in confusion, not grasping his meaning.Suddenly, Shane leaned in closer, his handsome face nearing hers. Haley's breath hitched as she felt a soft touch on her forehead, snapping her out of her daze. Realizing what Shane had done, Haley's cheeks flushed red, her eyes darting away, uncertain where to focus.Instinctively, she reached to touch the spot where she'd been kissed, but withdrew her hand quickly, feeling awkward."Mr. Ford..." She looked at Shane, bewildered, her heart pounding erratically.Shane's lips curled slightly as he lowered his voice. "Haley, I've never been one to do good deeds without expecting somet
He gave James a hesitant glance. "James, should we still go find Haley?""What's there to find? Let's go back and sleep!" James shot him a fierce glare, then pushed open the door and got out of the car.Huxley rubbed his nose, regretting his question. James was clearly in a foul mood, so staying silent seemed like the best option.But despite his intention to keep quiet, James, being as unpredictable as he was, wouldn't allow it.Back at home, James grabbed a bottle of rare vintage wine from his collection and popped it open.Seeing the pricey bottle, Huxley's eyes widened in disbelief."James, that's part of my dad's collection. You can drink any other wine, but not that one..." Before he could finish, James had already uncorked the bottle.Huxley was at a loss for words.James held the bottle stopper in one hand and the wine bottle in the other, locking eyes with Huxley for half a minute.Huxley felt like he was about to cry, but with the bottle already open, he could only w
Dean couldn't help but shrug his shoulders and took two steps back.Having been by Mr. Ford's side for so many years, he knew better than anyone else that Mr. Ford was on the verge of getting angry.At this moment, it was often best to stay as far away as possible.Unfortunately, James had no idea and continued speaking: "Once the debt is paid off, Haley and I will be even. Uncle, I like Xena, I want to marry her.""Fine," Shane said.James had originally expected strong opposition from his uncle to his proposal, but he didn't expect him to agree so readily.He tightened his grip on the phone, almost too excited to speak."Uncle, I knew you were the best to me!"Shane's affirmation was almost like a pleasant surprise to him.But he was too happy too soon.Shane continued, "I haven't finished. If you want to marry Xena, fine, but you'll be cut off from the Ford family."The smile on James's lips froze instantly, the joy in his eyes instantly dissipated, replaced by disbelief.
James closed the door behind him, hesitating as he approached the bedside, uncertain of how to start.He had acted impulsively earlier, and now he worried about upsetting his grandmother, especially given her fragile health.Just as he debated whether to broach the subject, Mrs. Ford Sr. spoke up, "I'm already aware that you want to call off the engagement with Haley. Is there anything else?"Observing his hesitant demeanor, Mrs. Ford Sr. wondered what else might be troubling him. After all, she knew her grandson better than anyone.If Haley hadn't visited her a few days ago, she wouldn't have agreed to the engagement. This engagement had been arranged by her and Haley's mother, Yvonne, years ago.Now that Yvonne was gone and Haley's father showed bias, without the backing of the Ford family, Haley would undoubtedly face hardship.But now she understood Haley's intentions and wouldn't force her to stay engaged.James widened his eyes in astonishment. "Grandmother, how did you fi
James hardly registered the latter part of Mrs. Ford Sr.'s statement. All he knew was that his grandmother had finally consented to the termination of the engagement. He raised his head eagerly, grasped Mrs. Ford Sr.'s hand, and exclaimed, "Really? Grandma, I always knew you cared about me the most!"Observing his uncontainable excitement, Mrs. Ford Sr. shook her head slowly. She explained, "A few days ago, Haley came to the house herself and brought up the termination of the engagement. I agreed then, but your phone was unreachable."A flicker of surprise danced in James's eyes. Haley had initiated the termination of the engagement herself? So, she hadn't deceived him. He had misjudged her. He had always assumed that Haley was reluctant to call off the engagement because she couldn't let go.Yet, unbeknownst to him, Haley had already proposed to call off the engagement. Recalling the times when he had lashed out at Haley in anger, James felt a hot flush of embarrassment spread acro
He didn't want his grandmother to get the wrong idea about Xena, so he decided to shoulder the responsibility himself. Mrs. Ford Sr. waved him off, saying, "You don't need to explain these things to me, and frankly, I don't care to hear them. Is there anything else you want to discuss with me? If not, then please leave. I need to rest."Observing Mrs. Ford Sr.'s tired expression, James swallowed his explanations and remained silent. "Grandma, I genuinely care for Xena. I want to marry her. I hope you can approve of us."Mrs. Ford Sr. gave him a brief glance and inquired, "Are you truly unable to live without her?"James nodded firmly, "Yes, she holds a significant place in my life."Mrs. Ford Sr. fell silent, taking her time to respond.James pleaded, "Grandma, I hardly ever ask you for anything. Please consider this request.""Don't bring up this matter again in the future. I won't agree to it," Mrs. Ford Sr. declared firmly.James hesitated, wanting to say more, but upon see
James shook his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.He exclaimed, "No, absolutely impossible!"Haley was his fiancée. There was no way she would suddenly marry his uncle. Why would this happen?James felt a mix of emotions, unable to articulate exactly what he felt. It felt as though a part of his heart had been hollowed out, though he hadn't fully grasped it yet. He simply attributed it all to being overwhelmed by shock.There had been no prior relationship between Haley and his uncle, which made the situation all the more bewildering.Mrs. Ford Sr. noticed his disbelief and chuckled, "Why impossible? Haley has every right to pursue her own happiness, something you couldn't provide her. Perhaps someone else could.""But... it couldn't be Shane. They have absolutely no connection," James muttered to himself.After a moment of contemplation, everything clicked into place for James. His reserved and stern uncle would never harbor feelings for Haley. It must be that Haley res
Instead, there was a touch of gentleness in his demeanor.Observing such a significant transformation in him within such a brief period, Mrs. Ford Sr. felt immensely relieved.Since Shane's abduction, his demeanor had become increasingly withdrawn.Psychologists even diagnosed him, suggesting his symptoms resembled emotional detachment because he could keep his emotions under control at a steady level, without any fluctuations regardless of the circumstances.It was not to say there were no fluctuations at all, but they only occurred in specific contexts and were very subtle.Even psychologists couldn't probe into his inner world.Thus, nobody knew what exactly could trigger emotional fluctuations within him.Now, it seemed that Haley had a significant impact on Shane's emotions.For Shane, perhaps this was a positive development.Therefore, Mrs. Ford Sr. was grateful to Haley, treating her with extra affection and warmth, a sharp contrast to her attitude towards James.James