The chicken soup that Liesel prepared in the past had always been sweet.Jacob lowered his gaze at the peppercorns in the bowl but still drank all of the soup. The sharp, spicy flavor burned down his throat, intensifying his headache.Isobel heard the sound and hurried out. "Do you need me, Mr. Ford?"When Jacob glanced up, he felt that the figure before him should have been someone else—someone slender, yet exuding a unique strength.He clenched his fist, but his expression remained indifferent. "No, go do your things."Isobel let out a soft, "Okay," but still turned back to look at him with concern. Only when she saw that Jacob truly had no orders did she begin to leave.Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Isobel opened the door and saw Natalie.Isobel remembered Natalie. Before she could say a word, Natalie had already pushed past her and rushed in."Jake, you drank so much just now. Are you okay? Do you need anything? You haven't even changed your clothes yet. Let me help you chan
Natalie thought to herself that she would make Jacob keep his promise. She was going to get everything she wanted.For a moment, Jacob seemed lost in thought. His mind wandered to a memory from years ago.Back then, Ford Corporation was growing too quickly. As its heir, Jacob had become a target for rival companies.When he was just a teenager, he had been in a car accident and was abducted to a rural town in Holmfirth.He was taken to a human traffickers' den, where they planned to sell him off to some remote area or even overseas.Among the other abducted children was a little girl, who turned the tables on their captors. She rallied the kids, outwitted the adults, and escaped with him through treacherous forests and streams.The girl, with a smile in her eyes, had gently touched his head. Her voice was sweet as she said, "I won't let them take you. I'll get you out of here. I'll save you. You have to trust me, okay?"Her eyes shimmered as though she was holding back tears. "Y
"Jake, you promised to protect me," Natalie said as she tried to ensnare Jacob.Deep down, she knew he probably didn't love her anymore. But did that matter to her? Not one bit.If she couldn't have his love, she would take his name and his status. She had sacrificed too much to walk away empty-handed now."I will protect you," Jacob replied as he looked up. His deep-set eyes lingered on her, and the faintest trace of a bitter smile tugged at his lips—one he didn't even notice himself.Had he really been saved back then?Why did it feel like he was still trapped in that abduction, unable to escape or move on?His entire life seemed destined to be lived out in guilt and bound by the weight of that debt of gratitude.What right did someone like him have to hope for more?"Go back." He looked at Natalie while struggling to suppress the pain within himself. "I've had too much to drink."The moment he stood, Natalie's eyes flickered with a flash of triumph. She moved to grab his ar
Jacob's gaze lingered on the clothes. He couldn't bring himself to throw them away.After all, Liesel had worn them. If she ever came back, seeing these things would make her feel like she had never left.His eyes darkened.He was sure that Liesel would come back. She would definitely return one day.…It was rare for Jacob to post on Twitter, so when he uploaded a photo of a plush toy, it immediately went viral.Liesel had just posted a picture, calling Elijah "Mr. Hardin" in the caption. Then, Jacob shared a picture, which seemed so out of character for him. It quickly overtook the trends.The next day, Elijah saw the trending topic when he woke up. His brows raised in amusement.He could already tell what had happened. Jacob had definitely been thrown off balance.He had probably seen Liesel's post last night, and then, in a drunken stupor, decided to share that picture.It was clearly something Liesel owned.Elijah snickered. He opened a shopping app and ordered every si
Discussions continued to flood Twitter."Mr. Hardin's tweet is definitely a response to Mr. Ford!""Emmm... So both Mr. Ford and Mr. Hardin are in love with Ms. Sharp? I can't believe that Mr. Ford would end up the loser in this battle.""Yeah… It's hard to imagine that a playboy like Mr. Hardin would actually win.""I think I figured out why Ms. Sharp left.""I think I have too.""It seems like it wasn't about any business competition at all. She left to avoid being pursued. Seriously? What the hell!"Elijah stirred things up early in the morning, sending all three of them straight into the trending topics.By the time Liesel saw it, she couldn't help but laugh in frustration.Elijah quickly apologized but showed no remorse. If anything, he seemed quite pleased with himself."I don't think I did anything wrong. He came at me directly. If I kept hiding, it would look like I was scared."Elijah, who was surrounded by all the plush toys, proudly said, "They're mine.""So chil
Natalie hadn't seen Liesel for the past few days, and Jacob's post had driven her mad. So, when she finally spotted Liesel tonight, she stormed over to demand an explanation.Her reasoning was simple. Liesel had left, but Jacob still thought about her, which meant she was seducing him. It was all Liesel's fault, not Jacob's."Watch your words, Natalie. After that night we saw each other, I haven't had anything to do with Jacob. I'm not interested in being a third wheel in your ridiculous relationship, and I certainly won't be his mistress. I'm not you."You're blocking my way, questioning me like a shrew, when you should be thinking whether Jacob really loves you." Liesel's tone dripped with mockery."Don't think that bringing this up will change the subject!" Natalie's face twisted in fury. With an angry lunge, she grabbed Liesel's wrist tightly.Liesel winced at the pain. Frowning, she said, "Let go.""Liesel, there are so many men in this world. Why do you have to go after a t
If Liesel ever seriously considered starting a business, with the influence she had now, people would probably think they were getting a deal by investing in her—if she even allowed them the opportunity.Liesel looked straight at Natalie. "You can go ask Drew and Charles. They'll show you how much of a joke you are."One last thing. I've already left Ford Corporation. From the start, I've never clung to Jacob. I'd suggest you take care of your own man. Don't let him keep bothering me. It's just causing me trouble."Her voice grew sharper as she spoke, "Also, instead of coming to me, you might as well focus on keeping your man in check. Since he was able to land you recently, he could easily find someone else tomorrow."With so many women out there, can you really control him? There's always one who doesn't mind being the other woman. If you're going to confront anyone, it's better to start with him."You're willing to trust a man like that and stick with him? I wouldn't have the g
Liesel asked, "Are you planning to step in and save her? Since you're from the same company, you probably should. But Natalie won't appreciate it."She'll think you're stepping in as Ford Corporation's executive secretary and are snatching away her opportunity. Worse, she'll see your presence as making her look even more foolish. She might think that if you stayed out of it, she'd somehow manage to handle everything on her own."She's just too arrogant. In her mind, she's no less than you, me, or Drew."Liesel chuckled at her own words. She found the absurdity of the situation genuinely amusing."As you know, I'm Ford Corporation's secretary. I can't just stand by," Charles replied.Liesel knew that, of course.Charles was emotionally distant. Jacob was the only person he saw as his close friend.Even though Liesel had worked with Charles for three years, their relationship remained nothing more than that of ordinary coworkers. For him, profit always came first.Natalie's feeli
Brandon didn't respond right away. Fred continued, "No one taught your mother and sister how to act appropriately in society. Mr. Ford is spending his precious time teaching them what to do and what not to do. Thus, they will have to suffer a bit for this."Mr. Zima, if you really want to help them, then just give your parents the bare minimum financial aid from time to time. As for your sister… you have no obligation to provide for her. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"Brandon couldn't accept it. "My sister's reputation in the industry isn't great right now. If I don't help her, then she really won't be able to survive. Mr. Ford is also an older brother. He should understand what I'm going through."Jacob loved Ophelia, and Brandon also naturally loved Yvonne. It was because of this that he wanted to try getting forgiveness from Ophelia.Fred raised his voice. "Ms. Ford is very warm and never treats people haughtily. She has never used her family background to bully oth
With a serious expression, Brandon rattled on about the various compensations for Ophelia. Fred nearly couldn't keep his facial expression under control.It seemed like everyone already knew that Ophelia was a huge fan of Chelsea's. It couldn't have been easy to think of such a compensation.The elevator arrived on the top floor, but Jacob still hadn't given his response. Therefore, Brandon hurried into his office behind Jacob and Fred. Finally, Jacob looked at him. "There is some sincerity to it."Firstly, a public apology to Ophelia on his company's Twitter account would clear her name. Secondly, the shares would be considered as financial compensation for the mental distress caused.The third form of compensation was the key point that convinced Jacob to look up. He thought that it was too difficult for Ophelia to fight for concert tickets and produce fan merchandise herself. Now that there was someone readily available to do it, Ophelia wouldn't have to work so hard.This pers
Jacob could really be heinous.Who wanted to listen to Veronica's blabbering?Most people thought that Tobey was sly, cold, and heartless. However, they didn't know that Jacob was the one who was truly wicked.In his youth, he had once been kidnapped because one of the medicines that the Ford family manufactured had threatened to undermine the profits of others. During that time, he'd suffered through endless torment.When he was rescued, his personality had turned ruthless.Although he could be monstrous, he placed great importance on his family and friends. And, Ophelia was his beloved little sister.How could he let Yvonne off the hook for scheming against Ophelia? He had to teach Yvonne that the world could be a harsh place.Not only was Yvonne stupid, but she was also very unfortunate.At first, Jacob could still tolerate how Yvonne had used Ophelia. He had just planned to give her a small taste of her medicine and stop there. However, Veronica had decided on her own accor
Vincent's expression turned cold. He wanted to kick her out of the house, but suddenly, Jacob's cold voice sounded from afar."Since our family is powerful and influential, why should we swallow our anger and surfer in silence?"Jacob had left a document at home, but because his assistant, Fred Foreman, didn't know where it was kept, he had to come home himself to get it. Unexpectedly, he overheard Veronica's haughty words when he returned.Well, a woman who was only pretending to be wealthy in a remote place was now acting superior in his home. Who would allow that to happen?All these years, Veronica had never been defied by someone younger than her before. Because she was much older, she considered herself superior. She didn't care if one was the heir to the family or the eldest son of the main family. At that moment, Jacob's words had made her rage boil over."Look! Look at the children that the Ford family has produced!"Jacob raised an eyebrow. He massaged the spot betwee
Edward chuckled quietly in her ear. "Where do you want to go tomorrow, Ophelia? Should I take you on an overseas getaway? Or perhaps, we could take a stroll nearby and watch a movie.""I can't go overseas; I'm not on break yet. Let's go watch a movie," Ophelia replied. "I've only watched a movie with you as my brother. This time, I want to try watching a movie with you as my boyfriend."Although Edward was still the same person, his identity had changed.She could now touch Edward openly. She could hold his hand, hug him, and kiss him.It was… really great."Alright, get some rest today. I'll come pick you up tomorrow," Edward said.Ophelia nodded and walked him to the door. As soon as she shut the door, she pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart thudding rapidly from the kiss earlier.She hopped into bed and rolled from side to side.After Edward got into his car, he finally let out a loud laugh. He pressed his fingers to his lips, reminiscing about the aftertaste sh
As their tongues intertwined, Edward could taste a sweet and sour flavor on Ophelia's tongue. It tasted like she just had a piece of strawberry candy that made her entire mouth taste sweet.Even her breath smelled like this refreshing and saccharine fruity scent. It was as if she was enticing him to take a bite of her and swallow her.The more they kissed, the more forceful Edward got. The air around them felt syrupy and intimate."Are you sure you really have never dated before? Am I really your first? If I am… then why are you so good at kissing?" she asked like it was an interrogation.She didn't know how to kiss and was very inexperienced. However, Edward had practically conquered her. He kissed her until her knees went weak.At the thought of Edward doing this to another woman, her chest began to ache terribly.Edward played with her hair, which had become messy from the kissing. "Like I said, you're all I dream about. I don't even know how many times I've kissed you in my d
"How would you know that I also didn't have the same kind of thoughts when you secretly kissed me all those years ago?"You said that I was born in a tall tower, but I didn't get to choose my background. Meanwhile, you have climbed your way up to where I am to be with me."In ancient times, we would have been innocent and carefree childhood sweethearts. We would've been considered a match made in heaven."Edward, what I'm saying is the truth." Ophelia said each word solemnly. She stared unblinkingly at Edward as she spoke. "While you were struggling with these emotions, who said I was not struggling too?"However, I just couldn't forget you. I couldn't accept a future without you. What I wanted was to have you by my side. I wish you were my lover, and I want to be with you, Edward Ford."Her response was firm and resolute. It echoed with conviction.At the same time, she seemed to be giving her answer to the Edward who had been hiding his feelings in fear and panic for many y
"If you're ever unhappy, you can come find me anytime. I'll always be here for you."This was Edward's promise.These were the moments when Ophelia had seen Edward smoking. Each time, it seemed to have something to do with her.She recalled the past. The way Edward always looked at her became even clearer in her mind. Back then, she might not have understood the struggle and yearning in his eyes.But now, she thought she understood.Her mind was filled with too many thoughts, and their embrace had lasted far too long.She wanted to push him away, but at that moment, he suddenly whispered in her ear, "Your first kiss wasn't him. It was me."What?Ophelia was stunned. She even thought that she'd heard wrong.When had she ever kissed Edward? How come she never knew about it?She pushed him away. Her doe eyes widened."You're lying. E-except just now, we've never kissed before!""The night before I left the country, you held onto my shirt and refused to let me leave. After you
Ophelia still remembered the melancholy and confusion that she'd seen in Edward's eyes. He had looked like a young boy who couldn't find his way home.The moment Edward saw her, he stubbed out his cigarette. Holding her hand, he led the bleary-eyed Ophelia back to the bedroom.Worried that she'd catch a cold from the freezing winds, he made her a cup of hot chamomile tea. She didn't like the taste, so he had to try his hardest to coax her into drinking it.Upset, she said to him accusingly, "Edward, I feel I'm turning into a chamomile plant."Edward laughed.He was handsome. Even when he laughed, he looked attractive. Amusement bloomed on his charming and elegant face.She complimented him dazedly, "Edward, you're really good-looking."Even though she was still mad that she'd been coaxed into drinking a whole mug of chamomile tea, she still found herself lost in his handsomeness. Edward's eyes were curved from his broad grin, and he reached out to rub her head."You're very goo