They didn't really shop around the mall. In the end, Liesel successfully picked out a few nearly-expired health supplements with Elijah's help. All the health supplements they picked up were set to expire in a week and were items no one wanted.Liesel didn't spend a penny and got these items for free.Meanwhile, Elijah managed to wander off somewhere and found two small flowers, one black and one white. As she was wearing a white dress, Liesel wore the black flower, while Elijah, who was dressed in black, wore the white flower. Dressed like this, they hardly looked like they were on their way to a birthday celebration with Liesel's eyes still red from crying at the cemetery.However, Elijah was particularly pleased with her outfit.Even Elijah was slightly taken aback when they drove to the Sharp residence. Calling it a villa hardly did it justice because it looked more like a modern garden estate. Anyone unaware would truly think the Sharp family was loaded."Your house looks p
"No more jokes. Let's go in." Elijah extended his hand to Liesel, and she looked down at it. This time, she finally didn't refuse his offer.Now divorced from Jacob, she truly needed a new source of support. Though often talkative and fond of joking, Elijah was still a gentleman with boundaries. Moreover, the Hardin family was powerful enough to rival the Ford family.With Elijah by her side, Jeffrey should understand that she was still not to be trifled with. She could rely on someone else even without Jacob. Until she became strong enough on her own, she couldn't allow Jeffrey to have any ridiculous ideas.Jeffrey's birthday celebration was bustling with activities as people laughed and mingled in small groups. Some were praising Jeffrey to his face, while others were trying to think of ways to hover close to Jacob. Many wanted to cooperate professionally with Jacob.Suddenly, the main door opened. The sound wasn't particularly loud, but the security was impossible to miss. About
Elijah didn't mind the pain. In fact, he just smiled and led Liesel into the venue.Knowing who Elijah was, the guests eagerly greeted him.After handing the gift to the Sharp family's butler, Elijah then guided Liesel step by step toward Jacob. He was clearly beaming. "Mr. Ford, we meet again."Jacob's gaze lightly swept over Liesel, who met his eyes with a cold expression and held onto Elijah's arm a little tighter.Elijah chuckled and said, "Lili, don't be nervous. You've been working with Mr. Ford for three years now; surely you're still not intimidated by him. Oh, right, not everyone is as approachable as I am."The remark seemed aimed at Jacob as a jab. However, Jacob didn't focus on that and only noticed Elijah calling her "Lili."Even he had never called her that.Jacob's gaze turned ice cold as he said, "It appears you two have a close relationship.""Very close indeed. We've even met each other's family members," Elijah replied cheerfully while making sure not to miss
Liesel couldn't stay calm anymore. Though young at the time, she remembered Heather's elegance and beauty. She recalled her exquisite face that shone so brightly.Heather loved fashion dearly. Even before she passed, she made this gown just so she could leave with dignity.This was the last thing her mother made with her own hands. Something so precious wasn't meant to be sullied by someone like Natalie, a bug who should be living in the shadows!"Take it off." Liesel's hand tightened around Natalie's neck. She was using all her strength."Take it off!" She gritted her teeth as she enunciated each word.Liesel's eyes were red and misty. They were filled with hatred as she stared at the woman before her."Even if you're stupid, you must know what this dress means to me. I don't care about other things like Jeffrey's love, Jacob's affection, or even the title of Mrs. Ford. I can give it all to you! But you must take this dress off!"Liesel's vision blurred, and she could almost se
Jacob had never loved Liesel. He could lend Liesel his coat to save her from embarrassment in a moment of disgrace, but that coat was always ready for Natalie, and he could always solve any of Natalie's troubles.Jacob Ford. She silently repeated his name in her heart, wondering how much more he could disappoint her.Liesel lowered her head while letting out a soft laugh. Yet, tears streamed uncontrollably. Each teardrop hit the floor with a soft plop.Suddenly, her gaze locked onto something. She saw a broken photo frame not far away.Liesel froze, completely losing her grace and composure. She was no longer the refined young lady praised by others. She crawled over, and her slender fingers reached for the cracked glass of the photo.She vividly remembered this was the last picture her mother took with her before she passed away. Back then, her mother had told her, "Lili, you must live a happy and fulfilling life. Never, ever compromise yourself for anyone. I'm watching you from
Liesel stood up, clutching her abdomen, and slowly approached Natalie.Blood continued trickling down her hand, forming small red pools on the floor with each drip."Take off the dress now." She wiped away the tears on her face, but blood smeared across her cheeks, giving her an unsettling, almost sinister look.However, her face was pale, and the fragile, exhausted woman somehow still projected this eerie sense of strength.Lowering her gaze, she looked at Natalie again and spoke once more. "Take off the dress."Natalie tried to run, but Liesel looked down and grabbed Natalie's wrist with her uninjured hand. "Don't covet it if it's not yours."Then, she sneered. "Go snatch Jacob if you want to snatch something from me!"Jacob was right next to her, and his body seemed to tense for a moment.He looked into Liesel's eyes and noticed the unmistakable chill. It was as if she really had no feelings left for him. It was like Liesel had truly let go of the three years of relationship
Jacob repeated in a flat tone. "Take off the dress and return it to Liesel."After that, he cast a brief, indifferent glance at Elijah. "You've watched enough. Leave now."Natalie needed to change, so they couldn't linger.Elijah's playful smile faded as his gaze remained fixed on Liesel's face. Upon hearing Jacob's voice, a smirk appeared on his lips. He regained his usual carefree demeanor."Liesel, call me if something happens. Though I don't belong to you yet, I surely will in the future. I don't mind you starting early by commanding your soon-to-be property." With that, he left the room.Jacob also followed, closing the door behind him.This room was at the corner of the second floor, where leaning against the wall provided a clear view of the extravagant scene below.Elijah observed the crowd in the banquet hall, and those pretending to be wealthy were moving about with airs of grandeur. Some flattered Jeffrey, while others tried to curry his favor as though his birthday c
"Dad only said one thing," Natalie said with a smirk as she looked at Liesel. "Can you guess what it was? He said, 'What a bummer!'"She chuckled. "He said Heather was really inconsiderate. Why did she choose to kill herself at his birthday party? If she had to die, it should have been at another time."Seriously! Why was Heather so inconsiderate? She could've chosen a good day to die instead of making you run around like this."Liesel knew Natalie was just trying to get under her skin, but she couldn't control the anger rising within her.She glared at Natalie, who was grinning smugly. Yet Natalie continued to smile and tossed her silver dress at Liesel."Do you think I like wearing a dead person's dress?"Natalie pulled out a new high-end dress and sneered, "I wore that just to see you lose it. And look at you—totally losing it."With no one else around, Natalie finally showed her true colors when facing Liesel alone."So this was all planned?" Liesel let out a chuckle."I k
On the surface, these CEOs were respectful to Liesel and praised her. However, they merely made fun of her for being a woman behind her back.For someone as brilliant as Liesel, all her efforts were wiped away just because she was once married."Did you think I was the one who chose Lili during our time together? No. From the start until now, I've always been the one who was chosen. Lili's the one who calls the shots." Elijah chuckled lightly. "Lili's amazing. She's my lover." He sounded determined. "I think you've really gone mad," Sam muttered. His gentle expression was gone. "I'm quite lucid. You guys have always been crazy. All these years, I still never learned all your old-fashioned ways. "I've always liked to be different. To me, my ideas are correct. My lover can only be Lili." Every word Elijah said was to express his love for Liesel. Elijah didn't hide his feelings for her. He wanted Sam to know what his choice was. With how things were going, there was no need fo
Sam almost never spoke to Elijah in such a tone. Elijah almost wanted to laugh.Elijah used to act like a loser. None of the ladies from wealthy families were interested in him and would just flirt with him. Only families that weren't as well-off wanted to get close to him and rub shoulders with the Hardins.As for Liesel, although she didn't have the perfect background, everything else about her was enough to make up for it. Apart from that, Heather was Liesel's biological mother. That alone was enough for Liesel to stand out among everyone else."It's better for you to say I'm not good enough for Liesel. Someone as brilliant as her could have anyone she wants. Why do you think she chose me?" As soon as Elijah finished speaking, Sam interrupted him."Because she was once married and had Jacob's child. No matter how brilliant she is in the future, everyone else thinks she's no longer pure. "Do you actually think these sly old men in the elite circles are truly stupid? Why would
Richard was even more delighted. "While Elijah was studying at Alden University back then, his lecturers kept his grades down. At that time, he was considered their genius student."Ms. Miller also participated in several projects with Elijah, so she truly understands what he's capable of. In fact, she brought up the marriage first. "Since she suggested marriage, it would be far too rude of us to reject her. That's why we need you to step aside."Richard didn't actually mean for Liesel to simply step aside. He wanted her to get lost. Liesel's gaze remained calm. She looked downward while estimating the time in silence. A faint smile formed on her lips."It's no use talking about all this with me. Why don't you wait for a few more minutes? He'll talk this out with you personally."Liesel was clearly seated in the wheelchair but did not seem like a victim at all. She looked up at Richard while speaking sarcastically. "If Elijah agrees to the breakup, I definitely won't bother h
"Since Elijah is the heir of the Hardin family, the woman standing beside him must be pure enough. She should be of high status, elegant, pure, and outstanding. Not some woman who was once married and had a miscarriage."His blunt words pierced into Liesel's heart. She looked up at Richard with a darkened gaze before letting out a mocking laugh. "You truly did your homework, Mr. Hardin, but you don't represent Elijah's stance. If he cared about all this, he wouldn't have pursued me from the start."Of course, Liesel did not reveal who she truly was. She was rather sensitive and suspicious at the moment. She remembered very clearly that she and Elijah started off with him being interested in her. He only truly pursued her because she was the one leading Shifter Corporation. Her identity was also the reason why Elijah slowly got close to her and began to understand her. Indeed, she had agreed to Elijah's pursuit because he was heir to Hardin Group. Both of them had ulterior mot
Liesel had never called Elijah "Eli" before.However, she didn't mind purposely using an intimate nickname in front of Richard now. She wanted him to feel the closeness between her and Elijah.Richard's expression fell.That disobedient son!Of course, he had handpicked a woman that suited Elijah more. She came from a noble and spotless background, and she was also good-looking. Of course, she couldn't compare to Liesel when it came to beauty, but her background was enough to defeat Liesel completely.What did Liesel have?If Heather were still alive, then she would have been Liesel's biggest crutch! Everyone would have to worship the ground she walked on.But Heather was dead, so what was Liesel worth now?She was a rising star in the financial circle known for her intelligence, but she was still just a woman. Unless she stood at the very peak, she was bound to get dragged back down into the mud one day.The young lady he'd picked was better suited for Elijah. She could easil
Richard had met Heather before.At the time, when Heather's reputation was at its peak, Richard had been a renowned playboy in their circle. He'd had many paramours and lovers, but the only one he wasn't able to forget was Heather.Heather's beauty wasn't just surface-level. Her beauty was capable of making people aware of her strength. Her elegance was akin to a highly valuable brocade. Whether one was seeing it from afar or up close, one would still get lost in the intricacy of its beauty.However, only when one held up a magnifying glass or an even more precise tool would they be able to see past the ornate patterns on the brocade. Only then would they be able to see the tiny encoded numbers below.Her stunning beauty coupled with her astounding intelligence could crush anyone around her.Liesel only resembled her by 70 percent or so, but both of them radiated the same aura.Heather had been more gentle, but there was a hidden danger lurking beneath the gentleness. A small smi
Denzel fell silent.He was clever enough to guess that Liesel must have lied to Jacob to provoke him.Liesel must not want Jacob to know that it was their baby. She must not want Jacob to continue to bother her, and she must not want anything else binding them together. Therefore, she'd made the decision to bluff Jacob that it was Elijah's child.Since it was Liesel's choice, he had no right to get involved.Denzel sighed heavily. "If you let her go, you would also be letting yourself go."Jacob's gaze darkened, and a snide laugh escaped his throat.Denzel knew that it would be futile to try to talk sense into Jacob, so he didn't bother.Before he left, he saw the danger lurking in Jacob's dark eyes. He couldn't help but feel worried for Liesel.He felt like Jacob had changed too much. He didn't know what kind of crazy things Jacob would be capable of.All he could do was pray that Jacob still held onto a shred of his rational side.…Elijah was in the middle of discussing t
Jacob had never been more aware that Liesel hated him and loved Elijah.His woman had ultimately become Elijah's lover, and he'd been the one who sent her straight to him.He was the one at fault.Jacob's gaze grew darker. He stood up, and his gaze fell on the surveillance system. He saw that Liesel was already awake and reading some documents. Her side profile was still so delicate and pretty. Her sickness couldn't stifle her charm.He couldn't stop himself from reaching out to touch her face, but his fingers only came into contact with the cold digital screen. He couldn't feel her soft and warm skin.Elijah walked into the room, and Jacob saw a smile bloom on Liesel's originally calm face. She grinned cheerfully at Elijah, waving the proposal in her hand.The past Liesel had never treated him so intimately before.Jacob's gaze was ice cold. As he watched Elijah lean down to kiss her forehead, he slowly clenched his fists.They had betrayed him. They had conceived that child
A dangerous look flashed in Elijah's eyes. Amidst the danger, there was blatant ridicule."Yes, the baby was mine." He sneered. Then, catching Jacob off-guard, he smashed his fist into Jacob's face.He moved swiftly and ruthlessly, showing no mercy. He only stopped when he saw purple and green bruises bloom on Jacob's face."Jacob, you're not wrong. The baby belonged to me and Liesel. By hurting them, you've chosen to antagonize Hardin Group." Retracting his fists, Elijah stood up. He stared down at Jacob, a bone-chilling iceness radiating from his gaze. "After this partnership ends, Hardin Group will never work with Ford Corporation again." This time, he still chose Liesel over profits.This wasn't a decision that he had to ruminate over. It was really because Liesel had been hurt by Jacob that he wanted to cut the alliance between Hardin Group and Ford Corporation.At that moment, he wasn't thinking about how Shifter Corporation was backing Liesel. He wasn't thinking about p