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,
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?"
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
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
"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
As she realized the ambiguous position they were in, Haley's cheeks flushed red, and she quickly pulled away from the man's embrace. Feeling embarrassed, she murmured softly, "No, my legs are numb.""Hmm," Shane responded with a pleasant chuckle, though it wasn't clear if he believed her or not. His gentle and deep voice seemed to have a calming effect, causing Haley's heart to flutter slightly, feeling both tingly and itchy. She rubbed her ears curiously and asked, "Mr. Ford, what are you doing here?"Shane replied nonchalantly, "I just happened to pass by."And he happened to see a poor little creature standing in the rain by the roadside, helpless and pitiful like an abandoned cat.Haley nodded knowingly but didn't know what to say.She had just experienced betrayal and felt physically and emotionally drained, only wanting to find a quiet place to rest. Shane glanced at her and asked, "Do you want revenge?""What?" Haley stared at him in confusion, not understanding his
While Dean was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a chill at the back of his neck. He turned his head and met Shane's cold, beast-like gaze. Shivering fiercely, he dared not wander in his thoughts anymore, focusing solely on driving. Fortunately, Shane only gave him a cold glance, warning him to drive properly, and quickly withdrew his gaze.After getting out of the car, Shane took Haley into his residence. He fetched a clean set of clothes from the closet and handed them to her. "Go take a hot shower first. There aren't any women's clothes here, so you can wear mine for now.""Okay," Haley's cheeks flushed slightly as she hurriedly took the clothes and entered the bathroom. She almost fled, too afraid to meet Shane's gaze and thus missed the fleeting smile in his eyes.Haley spent a long time in the bathroom, leaning against the wall, letting the shower water wash over her. Being betrayed by James and Xena was something she had never expected, and marrying Shane was even beyond he
Haley skimmed through the marriage agreement, falling into a moment of silence. Seeing her hesitation, Shane's heart inexplicably tightened, prompting him to ask, "Is there a problem?" Haley shook her head, incredulous. "Mr. Ford, are you sure you want to sign this agreement with me?"The agreement posed no issues; in fact, each clause within it was almost entirely in her favor. Marrying Shane not only granted her the status and position of Mrs. Ford but also secured a 3% stake in the Ford Corporation, along with real estate under Shane's name. In the event of a divorce, she would even be entitled to half of Shane's personal assets. The Ford Corporation was the largest multinational conglomerate in Jasper City, with investments in finance, real estate, hospitality, and various other industries, and its stock value was continuously rising. Compared to her third-rate wealthy family, whose combined assets couldn't even afford 1% of the Ford Corporation's shares, Haley would overnig