Even though Liesel knew Jacob was forcing her, she couldn't easily erase her feelings for him after being together for three years.Her heart raced erratically, and she could feel his closeness. But she didn't dare to lift her head.Warm lips brushed against her temple, and Jacob's breath fanned her ear, sending heat flushing through her body. A shiver of goosebumps formed on her neck, and her limbs softened involuntarily.Liesel pushed weakly against his chest, but Jacob remained unmoved. Her voice trembled as she whispered, "Jacob, snap out of it."Jacob didn't move. His lips grazed her skin as he murmured, "It's hot..."Liesel bit down hard on her lip. Her body trembled like a leaf. She was genuinely scared.Jacob could sense her slight resistance. His scent wrapped around her like a heavy blanket."Liesel..." His voice was husky and laced with desire.Liesel's eyes reddened as she heard him whispering her name with a painful clarity."If you know I'm Liesel, then you know
Liesel loved him so much, so why was she running away?Because she couldn't continue like this. Even though she desperately wanted to lose herself in Jacob, there was still the matter of the ill-timed child growing inside her.With Jacob acting so wildly, she was truly afraid something might go wrong."Jacob, I'm not the one you love."Jacob narrowed his eyes. "But I want you."After three years, their bodies were already so familiar with one another. Just like she couldn't resist him, Jacob desired her too. Their skin pressed together, and even without going further, their bodies were already responding with pleasure.Although he knew they were divorced, some part of him still told him that Liesel was his and only his.This time, without waiting for Liesel to answer, Jacob forced another kiss on her and tied her wrists to stop her struggles.The intensity of the night stretched on until the early morning hours.Jacob had thoroughly fulfilled his desires. He left Liesel lying
"You're in the mood, aren't you?"Liesel crossed her arms and looked at Elijah, who stretched lazily. He didn't seem all that alert. She added, "Don't tell me you stayed up all night waiting for me. I wouldn't believe that for a second."Elijah tilted his head slightly. There was a document box inside the car. The top file was marked with his notes. He had only recently taken over the Hardin family business and still had a lot to learn."You know me too well," Elijah replied while drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He had been here going over documents and waiting for Liesel, it seemed.His face softened into a smile, but just as he was about to speak, he caught sight of the exposed faint marks on her neck out of the corner of his eye.He could sense her unease and, after a brief moment of thought, understood why.Elijah discreetly looked away while maintaining his smile. He changed the subject. "You wanted to watch the sunrise, right? I know the perfect spot. Let me tak
Liesel had left Ford Manor not long ago, and this was Elijah's secret hideout. How had Jacob found her so quickly? If he hadn't spied on her, then what else could it be?Liesel's eyes darkened as the thought took root.No. Perhaps there was a tracker planted on her all along. And the only thing that could hold a tracker and that she carried with her regularly... was her phone.Liesel pulled out her phone and looked Jacob in the eyes. "The tracker is in here, isn't it?"While Jacob remained silent, Elijah smiled as he took the phone from Liesel. He asked, "Ms. Sharp, would you mind if I disassembled your phone?"Liesel shook her head and handed it over.With quick, practiced movements, Elijah disassembled the phone. Sure enough, there was a tracking device inside. He removed it, weighed it lightly in his hand, and toyed with it."It's a two-year-old brand. Looks like this tracker has been in here for quite some time."Elijah's smile lingered, but it was laced with coldness. "Mr.
Denzel's hands were elegant, with neatly trimmed nails and distinct knuckles. He moved with grace and poured tea into a glazed teacup. The delicate aroma of the tea quickly filled the room."I heard from Alex..."He looked up at Jacob and Liesel. Noticing the considerable distance between them, he couldn't help but smile. "Have you two gotten a divorce?"Liesel clenched her hands tightly. She said, "Our marriage was always more of a business arrangement. It was only a matter of time before we would part ways.""I see." Denzel sipped his tea with ease."Your decision is your own. I won't interfere, but I hope you don't regret it in the future."Denzel maintained a soft smile throughout. By the time he finished his cup of tea, he seemed to have shed the fatigue from earlier. "Ms. Sharp, let's go."Jacob was about to follow, but Denzel stopped him. "Jake, stay here. Since you two are divorced, you should keep some distance. I'll have a female doctor handle the examination. Once the
Liesel looked down, and her voice was barely audible when she said, "Actually, Jacob is also quite innocent. That night was truly an accident. He has done a lot for me by marrying me."On the first day of our marriage, he told me he had feelings for someone else and that we would eventually divorce." Denzel stared at her. "I understand Jake is innocent, but from the perspective of your marriage, everything he did as a husband was wrong. You're now carrying his child."Ms. Sharp, whether to keep the child or not is entirely your choice. You are the one who carries his child. You need to make a decision that you won't regret."Denzel was known for his deep aversion to wrongdoing. He had once acted impulsively, which led him to study psychology to calm himself.As the heir of the Johanson family, he was a genius physician capable of performing surgeries across various specialties. Even abroad, he had been involved in rescue missions and had helped many women give birth.He had wit
"Jake, my dad asked if Liesel was close to Elijah. He wants to discuss a collaboration with him."The mention of Elijah's name irritated Jacob. He replied indifferently, "What kind of collaboration could require your father to approach Elijah? Is Ford Corporation not on par with Hardin Group?""It's not that… My dad just doesn't want to bother you, Jake." Natalie sighed lightly and said, "Actually, Liesel should be close to Elijah, right?"Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken her to see fireworks and sunrise. He even targeted you, Jake," Natalie continued with a concerned look."I'm quite upset. Doesn't this seem like Liesel is cheating on you? I'm worried they might have been together before your divorce. Isn't this betrayal?"She pouted, appearing genuinely upset on Jacob's behalf."Are you angry for me?" Jacob asked. His gaze was cool.Natalie nodded vigorously as if she truly was upset.Jacob looked at the computer screen, where Liesel's medical examination report was displaye
"Ms. Sharp, you missed it yesterday. That new secretary, Natalie, made another mistake. This time, she messed up the decimal points on the financial report. Thankfully, our review was thorough enough to catch it; otherwise, that contract would have cost Ford Corporation a fortune."A secretary who had worked with Liesel before remarked when she saw Liesel entering the CEO's office. She was clearly not holding back her disdain for Natalie.She didn't address Natalie formally since Liesel shared the same surname, and it might sound like she was jeering at Liesel instead of Natalie."Exactly. She thinks everyone here has to clean up her mess. Ms. Sharp, you can't keep helping her out every time she makes a mistake," another secretary with glasses added with a hint of impatience."If she doesn't have the capability, she shouldn't be in that position. She's delusional to think she can match up to you. She's better off just sitting in the office and stamping papers."Those in the secret
Edward was befuddled.They were both in Ashthorne, so why did they have to do a long-distance relationship?However, Jacob seemed to think that it was a great idea. "What do you think about seeing each other once a month?"Edward choked on his next words. He thought to himself, "You don't even live with us. When I move to the apartment opposite Ophelia's, we'll be seeing each other every day."However, to his surprise, what Jacob said next ruined his plan."I remember that Ophelia is renting an empty guest room in that condo. It's not safe for you to live alone, so I'll move into the apartment with you."Both Ophelia and Edward gaped in shock.This was unreasonable. Even Ophelia's biological father wouldn't do something like this.Their relationship had just begun, but they had gotten caught on their first date. Now, rather than go on dates with Jacob supervising them, he was forcing them into a "long-distance relationship".Not just Edward, but Ophelia also thought this was t
Since Denzel didn't have any more surgeries scheduled for the day, he agreed. Since getting off work, he hadn't gotten any rest. If he drove now, he would be driving while drowsy. Fortunately, his assistant had come with him and could drive instead.Edward's assistant had taken Veronica away, so Edward could only drive himself. As he stopped his car in front of Heritage Hotel, the name card that Denzel had stuffed into his shirt pocket fell out.It was decorated with embossed flowers. At first sight, it looked luxurious… Of course, if it wasn't a name card for a urologist, he wouldn't be upset at all.The corner of Edward's lip twitched violently. All of a sudden, he understood why Jacob had been staring at him that way.Both Denzel and Jacob thought he was impotent. Why couldn't they believe that he hadn't slept with Ophelia because he cherished her?Was it a problem that he wanted to wait for Ophelia to be extra sure? He just wanted to give her the perfect first honeymoon night
"I remember you saying that you thought of Ophelia as your sister, then you got together with her. Are you trying to commit incest?" Jacob said mockingly. He was cutting straight to the chase.Before Edward could respond, Jacob asked Ophelia, "Since you like CEO and brother-sister literature so much, can you swear on your life that you were imagining Edward and not me?"Of course, he had to throw snide remarks at both of them.His mouth was truly venomous.He didn't even give Edward a chance to explain before sending another blade through his heart. "Didn't you say that you would take care of Ophelia for the rest of your life? "The Ford family sent you abroad to study, but you came back only to commit incest. It seems like you didn't learn much while you were overseas. If anything, the only thing you picked up overseas was loose morals toward love."Edward's smile stiffened. "Jacob, Ophelia and I have already talked about it. We aren't related by blood, and this is between us."
When Ophelia didn't ask further, Edward rubbed her back and asked, "Are you hungry? If you want to grab a bite, shall we head to Heritage Hotel?""I want to check out the food market at Alden University, and I want you to carry me." She paused to think for a moment. "Piggybacking is also fine."It seemed like Veronica's tantrum hadn't reduced her enthusiasm for the food market. Edward was relieved that it hadn't ruined her mood."Is the food there clean? I thought Jacob said no street food." The reason he brought up Jacob's name was because he knew that he would be defenseless against Ophelia's cuteness.Jacob also happened to be the only person that Ophelia was truly afraid of.Still, Ophelia didn't take it seriously. "He's not even here. He won't know if I secretly have some."As soon as she said that, a cold voice sounded from not far away."What is it that I won't know?"The person slowly emerging from the shadows was none other than Jacob.Videos of the incident between O
Edward narrowed his eyes, sensing that something wasn't right.What could make Denzel so cautious?"Will you tell me when we get home?" Edward patted Ophelia's head. The latter leaned into his touch guiltily.Denzel massaged his forehead.Whatever. The sooner they went away, the better. He didn't want to watch them be all lovey-dovey in front of him.After they left, the janitor sanitized the office. Denzel had no more work for the night except for the discussion that he had with Jacob tonight.Just as he thought about Jacob, he called."What does your text mean? What do you mean, 'Sorry for my beloved'?"Denzel was quiet for a moment. "Have you not seen the trends on Twitter in the past two days?"Jacob was even more puzzled after he checked. Besides the news about Ophelia getting bullied by Yvonne, there was nothing else. Wasn't he already handling this matter? Or could there be something else that he didn't know about?"Are you not aware that Edward and Ophelia were trendi
Meanwhile, in the long term, Dash would be a concern. Dash had a lot of nasty tricks up his sleeve. While he might not dare to piss Liesel off now, he most likely wouldn't let Ford Corporation off the hook.Of course, Edward knew all of this.It was because he knew this that he spent such a long time abroad, hiding from Ophelia. Still, he hadn't been able to control his feelings for her. He couldn't bring himself to let go of her.He didn't have any greater aspirations in this lifetime. He only wished that he could help Ophelia reach the stars. Then, he'd stay by her side and protect her. Anything else was outside his consideration."I know the consequences." Edward gazed down at Ophelia with a gentle smile."If Ophelia didn't like me or have feelings for me, I would be willing to just stay by her side and never cross that line. However, I'm fortunate that the person I love also loves me back. "Thus, no matter what the future brings, I can handle it."I think about how brightly
Denzel sent Jacob a text that said, "Sorry about your beloved."Jacob, who was already headed to the hospital to have a discussion with Denzel, was taken aback when he read the message.What did that mean?Before Denzel could explain, the door opened. Inside, Edward was hugging Ophelia.Denzel had a strange look in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something but was holding back. However, Edward didn't overthink it. He merely thanked Denzel and prepared to leave the hospital with Ophelia.Upon hearing that, Denzel's smile froze. "You're welcome."For some reason, it sounded like he was seething. It even sounded a little like "fuck off".Nevertheless, Edward didn't think too much of it. However, he overheard Denzel instructing the janitor to sanitize the entire office, especially the bed and the couch.Edward was speechless. So that was why Denzel had been so hostile earlier.Despite his typically calm and refined demeanor, Edward was furious and embarrassed. "I didn't
Edward had the foresight to turn Ophelia's face toward him so that Denzel's smile was no longer directed at her.Denzel was speechless.All of Denzel's elderly patients wanted to make him their son-in-law, while the young women would secretly fall for his good looks and dream of marrying him. And that wasn't all. There had even been young men who had been so charmed by his smile that they kept asking if he was also into guys.Therefore, Edward didn't want his future fiance to even look at Denzel for a second too long. In his eyes, Denzel was a seductive devil, which was why he had the nickname "Denzel Medusa".Thus, Edward said shamelessly, "If you're done with the wound dressing, then you may leave. I want to discuss some things with Ophelia and also get some rest."Denzel wished he could cut ties with Edward and have the hospital blacklist him.He massaged the spot between his eyebrows. "This is my office."Without any hesitation, Edward asked, "Aren't you single?"In this
"It's my fault. I'll definitely pay attention next time." Edward felt very guilty and sorry."So you want me to get hurt again?" Ophelia tugged on the silver chain around Edward's neck. Her eyes twinkled.She had bought this necklace for him when she was younger. She remembered that it had come with an oval locket, inside which she had inserted a photo of her getting hugged by him on her own accord.She couldn't really remember what the photo looked like anymore, but she had a rough idea. She had picked the photo that she thought she looked the best in.At the time, she had still been really young, but she had been inspired by a television show. She thought that by giving a family member or a lover a gift, they would always think of her whenever they looked at it.Kids were always naive like that. She thought that since he would think of her when he saw her gift anyway, she might as well put a picture of herself inside.Thus, the young Ophelia had picked out a silver necklace and