Within a few minutes, Liesel's bowl was filled with crawfish meat. There were only a few pieces of crawfish in Thomas' bowl. He only began filling his bowl with more crawfish upon realizing she was looking at him.He didn't mind starving and not eating a single bite as long as he could do anything for her. Not only was he smiling, but his eyes lit up with joy."Thomas, you actually don't have to peel crawfish for me." Liesel pushed her bowl of crawfish meat before him and continued earnestly, "In the future, you'll meet someone who will willingly peel crawfish for you."Thomas stopped peeling crawfish and looked up at her in confusion. He had no idea why she suddenly brought that up."I was once married. You know that, right?" Liesel brought up her painful past to Thomas right away. To her, Thomas must have genuinely fallen for her because he assumed she had never been married before. If he became aware that she was once married to Jacob, he would definitely back off and give up
Thomas never thought he would be rejected indirectly before he could even confess his feelings for Liesel. He continued eating his supper absentmindedly. After he finished supper, Liesel drove him to the entrance of a mid-range residential complex. "How much is the monthly rent here?" Liesel glanced at the condominium not far away."Two thousand dollars a month." Thomas sat in the passenger seat while hugging the grey kitten tightly. He was reluctant to get out of the car. "After paying rent, do you have enough to spend every month?" Liesel did not rush Thomas out of the car. Instead, she rolled down the windows a little so the car remained ventilated. She did not mention Thomas' identity and merely brought up a question laced with a meaningful undertone. "I don't smoke or drink. I only play games, so I have enough to spend." Since Cameron already canceled Thomas' secondary card long ago, Thomas hadn't lied about living off his own salary."Sounds easy for you." Liesel gazed at
"Can I take a day off?" Thomas asked. Liesel understood how he was feeling at that moment and smiled. "If one day isn't enough, you can take a few more days off."Liesel was still so gentle. She was so kind that Thomas felt more despair inwardly. Before leaving, he stopped to intentionally remind her. "Ms. Sharp, be careful of Austin whenever I'm not around."Although Thomas wasn't permitted to join the meeting earlier, he heard from those working at the research department that Austin was clearly harboring sinister motives."Why are you so certain that Austin's the problem and not me?""That's impossible. Ms. Sharp, you're the best person in this entire world. You would never betray the company." Thomas' words were filled with utmost confidence toward Liesel. "What if I stole company secrets and went to jail for that?" Liesel asked with an arched eyebrow. "That's not possible! Ms. Sharp, you would never do anything like that.""I said 'what if'.""There's no 'what if'."
Jacob glanced at Liesel, who looked at him with sarcasm in her eyes. There was no affection for him at all. "You refused to accept me and decided to go for Elijah. Now that he's crippled, you're choosing that man over me? Liesel, what can he even give you?"Jacob looked downward at Kitty in Liesel's arms. Kitty seemed to feel Jacob's disdain toward itself and began to tremble. "He even picked up this present from the streets."Indeed, Jacob had been keeping tabs on Liesel and was even here to spy on her. Otherwise, how else would he have known that Thomas was by her side? Liesel stopped petting Kitty. At that moment, her smirk faded away. "What does that have to do with you? Mr. Ford, have you forgotten who you are? You're merely my ex-husband, whom I've already divorced. You don't have the right to interfere in anything I do."Liesel mentioned him as her ex-husband to trigger him. Jacob couldn't help but clench his fists while staring at her icily."Must you trigger me?""I
Liesel was really capable of making Thomas fall for her. Had she known who he truly was and decided he could be of use? Was she planning to rise higher in the ranks?Elijah was lovesick for Liesel, but Austin still remembered how ruthless Elijah could be. If Elijah found out that Liesel had cheated on him, he might even want to ruin her completely and never protect her again.After all, how could anyone stand being cheated on? By then, not only would Austin have Elijah get back at Liesel, but Austin wanted the whole internet to know how scandalous Liesel could be. If Cameron knew how Liesel had seduced Thomas despite having a fiancé, Cameron would never let her off easily as well.As glorious as Liesel was now, she would be equally as miserable in the future. Despite being wealthy and powerful, she was still fragile no matter how capable she was. Austin wouldn't even have to do anything. All he had to do was lead her to the top before pushing her off. Liesel would crash and bur
Liesel couldn't hold back her laughter at Elijah's expression. "Are you angry?" She had clearly seen his eye twitching. Elijah was an extremely attractive man who did not resemble Jacob and Tobey's aloof demeanor at all. Instead, Elijah had chiseled features and stunning eyes. His intense gaze would make anyone feel like he only had eyes for them. Elijah had the looks of a troublemaker, yet he seemed strangely vulnerable at that moment. Liesel reached out and gently poked his face. "Why no response? Didn't someone say that Thomas' family and looks match me well? Didn't he even want to let me go so I could be with him? Why is this person so quiet now?"Elijah said nothing. He looked down while clearly feeling disheartened. "I remember you're always the best at explaining how life works to me. Why aren't you saying anything? Thomas has already confessed that he really loves me. Don't you want to know my answer?"Liesel leaned against Elijah. She pressed her forehead against his
Liesel's gaze flickered as she waited for Elijah's response. Struggle was written all over his gaze as he looked past her. He was lost in a daze. Her words seemed to pull him into the future.Elijah watched Liesel slowly drifting away from him. He could only sit in his wheelchair as if he were a spectator and watch her run toward another man's arms from a distance.He saw how affectionate she was with the other man, doing things only lovers would do. The way she cast a charming smile at the other man…No. Absolutely not.Elijah was still unable to let Liesel go so easily. She was his lover, so he refused to let her leave. He drew her into his embrace with one arm and held her tightly. "Lili, I was wrong." The hoarseness in his voice was quite evident. "I can't accept the idea of you leaving me. I don't even want to imagine it. Please don't be with Thomas." To Liesel, the current Elijah seemed extremely fragile. A slight push could cause him to break down. She could feel his swe
"Elijah.""Yes, I'm here," Elijah answered."Elijah," Liesel yelled again. "Yes, I'm listening," Elijah replied again. He stroked her soft, long hair with a warm gaze. "I assume you've thought things through," Liesel said. She assumed that he had considered everything and gave up on the idea of leaving her so someone else would take care of her. Instead, he would always be with her.Elijah understood what Liesel meant. He gazed at her gently before leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead. "Yes, I've thought things through."Elijah would not hold Liesel back. He would propose to her if she could heal him and give her everything. If she fell for someone else during that time, he also would not forbid her from leaving him.Elijah loved Liesel, but she would always have her freedom. He knew very well that he loved her, but he always wanted her to be free forever.He wanted her to stay by his side because she loved him, not because she pitied him. It was the only way he could
"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
As if she could sense something, Ophelia looked up. Her indifferent gaze suddenly lit up, and her eyes curved as she smiled.Edward's throat tightened. At this moment, he didn't know whether to feel frustration or heartache.He had been a little late, and Ophelia had ended up getting bullied by a crazy old woman.Edward walked to her side and squeezed her hand gently. Ophelia had no intention of wasting her breath on Veronica. She was waiting for Edward to come and handle her.She pointed at Veronica and said straightforwardly, "She's bullying me."Without a second thought, she continued, "She accused me of bullying her daughter, Yvonne, which is why she came to stir up trouble."Edward frowned. The Ford family didn't have much of a partnership with the Zima family, and Edward had spent a few years studying abroad. The older generation never got to see him much, so Veronica naturally didn't recognize Edward as Matthew's adopted son.Thus, she just assumed that he was another For
"I'm not interested in getting revenge on a celebrity I used to be a fan of. If your daughter received any retribution, it's only because even God couldn't let it continue."If you have so much free time, it would benefit you more to come to church with me instead."Ophelia was about to walk off when Veronica leaped forward. She held onto Ophelia's leg again and refused to allow her to leave. "No, you can't walk away! Yvonne said that she doesn't have a future in the industry anymore after making you angry."You have to forgive her! Aren't you a fan? You can't just stop supporting her. You have to keep liking her. As the daughter of the Ford family, you can give her more opportunities, and she will definitely be able to rise again!" Veronica roared maniacally.Ophelia let out an exasperated chuckle. All of a sudden, she felt like the entire Zima family was full of lunatics.Unable to hold back anymore, she said angrily, "Yvonne has committed a crime. Do you think I'm moronic enoug