Hamish looked at the older couple and said, “I won’t go with you or be with Mary no matter what arrangements you’ve made with my parents. I fell in love with Xena the first time I saw her.“When I told my parents that I wanted her to be my wife, they went to you to propose a marriage. I never agreed to change the arrangement and marry Mary instead. Paisley, do you remember what I said when Xena left?“I used to worry about not disrespecting my elders. I feared harming Mary, but I realized the one I wanted to help ended up suffering the most. I don’t want Xena to face any more injustice. Stop gaslighting me into feeling sorry for Mary.“Whether Mary harms herself or gets hurt is none of our concern. If you’re worried about Mary, hire more people to monitor her.”Paisley was furious. “I’ll complain to your parents about this!”Hamish nodded and scoffed. “Go ahead!”Immediately after, Paisley turned and huffed away.Meanwhile, Xena instructed her men, “Don’t even open the door for
Elliot went to work the following day and heard that Ethan had recovered.Although Elliot had shares in the company, he had no official position. After all, he was in a wheelchair for a long time and could not commute. Most considered him a thorn in their sides. However, his capabilities demanded everyone’s respect.Ethan was on the phone in his office at that moment when he gestured for Elliot to sit down. Soon after, the former ended the call and then smiled at Elliot, saying, “What made you want to work here?”Elliot sat on the other side of the desk and replied, “I need to earn money to support my wife, don’t I?”“You can support several wives with the money you already earn.”Elliot added, “It’s not enough. I just want to give Sophia the best life possible.”Ethan’s lips twitched, tired of hearing Elliot boast. The former asked, “Then what about Prosper Peak?”“Hamish can manage it himself. Who else would run his company if not him?”Ethan chuckled. “I almost thought it wa
Charlene remained motionless. It was unclear if she was ignoring Avery and Michelle’s relationship or if she was simply absent-minded.Michelle frowned and said, “Excuse me. Aren’t you going to respond?”Sophia frowned, too, thinking, ‘Can’t she get the decanter herself? Being Avery’s bodyguard is humbling enough for Charlene. Why’s Michelle treating Charlene like a maid?’Fortunately, Avery stood up and said, “I’ll do it.”He picked up the decanter from the cabinet and handed it to Michelle. The latter smiled and stood up to pour a glass for each member of the Morgan family. “I’d like to toast to you all to show my respect.“May you have good health, and may your family be happy. Sophia, may you become even more beautiful with each passing day.” Michelle then gazed at Avery and added, “May you become even more handsome. Drink up, everyone!”Everyone raised their glasses and drank their wine. As they became more familiar with each other, the conversations became livelier. Meanwhi
Charlene shook her head and leaned on Sophia's shoulder, crying.Sophia then texted Xena, saying, “Go to Gibbous. Charlene’s heartbroken.”Afterward, Sophia instructed the driver to drive to Gibbous Moon Bar. When the car stopped, Charlene looked around blankly and asked, "Where is this?"Sophia replied, "It's a bar. I'll accompany you to drown your sorrows." Charlene chuckled. "With your drinking capacity?"Sophia clicked her tongue. "If I can't handle it, Xena will take care of you." "Did you tell her what happened?""Yeah, let's go. You can find a handsome guy later and just sleep with him." "I've got my eye on your brother." After some thought, Sophia said, "That works, too. I'll trick him into coming, and you can sleep with him first. I don't like that Michelle girl anyway."Charlene grabbed Sophia and playfully scolded, "Stop it. Have some dignity!"Robert immediately spotted them as they entered. He excitedly said, "Sophia, you're here!" Sophia said, "Yeah, find
Sophia was worried about Xena and wanted to help her. She instinctively left the bar with her phone, forgetting Charlene was still there. Just as she stepped out of the bar, she noticed a crowd gathering ahead."Have they called an ambulance?""How could someone so young faint like this?""I don’t dare to touch him. It might get complicated later if we get involved."Sophia said, "Who fainted? What happened? Let me take a look."She stumbled toward the crowd. In the midst of it all, she forgot about Xena again. The crowd did not want to make way for a drunken girl trying to push through. Why would a drunkard come here when someone's life was at stake?Sophia looked at the crowd blocking her path and said, "Let me through."But no one moved. Everyone crowded the area, and Sophia could not see what was happening. She tried again, "Could you please move aside? I'm a doctor."Still, no one budged. The crowd simply thought Sophia was a drunkard claiming to be a doctor.Sophia impat
Sophia did not respond and simply hung up. Then, she fiddled with her phone to find Elliot’s name and initiated a video call.Elliot answered the video call promptly, thinking that he could determine where she was by seeing her surroundings. Instead, he saw her sitting on the ground, surrounded by a group of people.He was concerned, "Soph, what happened?""Huh?" Sophia scratched her head, "Oh? I'm going to help. Someone is bothering her.""Are you hurt? Stand up, let me see."Sophia asked with a pout, "Aren't you going to sing for me?""Sing? Aren't you going to help Xena? Find her first. What if she's in trouble?"Sophia agreed. She struggled to stand up, and as the camera shifted, the sign "Gibbous Moon Bar" came into view.Elliot felt relieved and hurriedly reassured her, “Wait for me inside the bar. I'll come pick you up, and then we'll go help Xena, okay?"Sophia nodded, "Okay, but you have to be quick.""I'll be very quick. You go to the bar and wait for Xena. I'll be
Elliot was startled and quickly held her hand. He leaned in and whispered, "I'll let you see when we get back."Sophia was about to refuse, but Elliot pressed his hand against the back of her neck and kissed her. "There are other people here. Do you want them to see too?"That line worked well. Sophia quickly retracted her hand. "No, I don't."She glanced at the others with lingering fear.Elliot comforted her and then started calling Hamish and Avery to pick them up. At that moment, Avery had just returned from the university campus with Michelle. He was surprised to receive Elliot's call."What's wrong?"Elliot went straight to the point. "Come to the Gibbous Moon Bar. Your bodyguard got drunk with Sophia and the others. I can only take care of my wife. I can't manage your people."Although Avery hadn't had enough time with Michelle, he couldn't neglect Charlie. He turned to Michelle and said, "I'll take you back first. I need to go pick someone up."Michelle was understandin
On the other hand, Hamish was not as lucky. When he arrived at the bar and found the private room, there was no one there except for the cleaning staff. He asked, "Where are the people in this room?""They left.""Where’d they go?""I don't know."Hamish tried to call Xena, but the call could not get through. It seemed like she had blocked him. He drove straight to the Pavilion, only to find out that Xena did not return at all. He became even more anxious. He might not have been so worried if his mother did not slap Xena today.Now, Hamish feared that she might do something drastic. He called Elliot with urgency and frustration, "Xena is missing! Couldn't you have waited for me before leaving? What if something happens to her while she's drunk?"Elliot was speechless, but he was not as concerned. With Xena's strength, no one could fight over her, even if she was drunk. Still, he explained, "Nothing will happen. Ask the staff at the bar. I told them to take care of—"Before he co