Melissa was curled up in the hanging chair on the balcony like a ball, looking wilted and drained, likely due to not eating since last night until now.The nanny specifically assigned to care for her squatted nearby, softly coaxing her to eat something. When Sean pushed open the door and entered, she quickly stood up."Mr. Kingston…"Upon hearing this, Melissa immediately turned her head toward the door. When she saw him, her large eyes filled with tears, and she choked up, "Shane!"Sean walked up to her, looked at the oatmeal brought by the nanny, and asked, "Why aren't you eating?""If you don't come, I won't eat! I'll starve myself!" she said, as willful as she was in her childhood. "You promised me that you'd always eat with me from now on, but you lied."If you go on a business trip, I'll go with you. If you don't take me, I'll starve!" Her voice carried a childish determination."Melissa," Sean sighed softly and watched tears roll down her cheeks. Eventually, he said, "L
"But I want my dad to be free!" Melissa shouted.She couldn't stop crying when she thought about her elderly father suffering in prison."Can't we spend money to get him out? No matter how much it costs!"Sean said softly, "Melissa, Mr. Lane wants to atone for what he's done. He told me this himself. He wants to make amends while he's alive so that he can face your mom and my dad in the afterlife with dignity."He must have told you that your mom was a very kind and righteous person. He loved your mom his entire life. Despite his mistakes, he wants to meet her guilt-free."You're his daughter. You should understand him."Hearing this, Melissa stared at him with red and vulnerable eyes, tears streaming down her face. In her heart, she understood her father but still felt deeply pained. She knew how much he loved her mother.The love he gave her was an extension of his love for her mother. Since her mother was no longer there, he projected his love onto her. She believed that he l
If Sean hadn't arrived in time, Kirby would have been dead already. Even now, his injuries hadn't fully healed. Although his right hand was saved, it couldn't perform delicate movements, and while he could walk normally, he couldn't move quickly. The trip to Menko nearly turned him into a half-cripple.However, as Brayden had said, he was a mad dog by Melissa's side because he was crazy and reckless enough. He would fulfill all her orders even if it meant his death.This time, she had ordered him not to make any mistakes. This would mean that he had to kill Monica, even at the cost of his own life.He was currently still in Krontos. After receiving the order, he put down his hamburger and immediately sprang into action. He left the restaurant, put on his hood, and walked through the rain, his eyes filled with murderous intent.He didn't understand why Monica was so lucky to have survived several assassination attempts. Melissa was furious. So, even if it cost him his life, he was
The Steele family members were all shrewd individuals. Seeing the situation, they quickly understood Hiram's intentions—he saw Monica as the successor.Kieron wasn't paying attention as he was busy messaging someone on his phone, while Lara's expression had turned sour.Before the car accident, she had been Hiram's favored candidate for succession. After the incident, Grace was crippled, and Hiram was wary of her, suspecting her to be as ruthless as her uncle.Using the excuse of receiving a call on her phone, Lara forced a smile and stood up to excuse herself."Sorry, I need to take this call."As she pushed open the door of the private room, Kirby entered, passing by the bodyguards without raising any alarm. Disguised as a waiter, he was wearing gloves and holding a bottle of opened red wine.Seeing that Lara was about to leave, he immediately stepped aside. Just as Lara was about to brush past the waiter, she glanced down at her phone screen.Out of the corner of her eye, she
At the mention of the accidents, Monica couldn't help looking up at Lara, who had just helped her to the couch."What are you looking at me for?" Lara immediately flew into a rage. "If I were to send a hitman after you, would I do it on the day our families discuss my and Kieron's marriage? And why would I send such a worthless piece of trash?"Also… I wasn't the one behind your and Grace's accident, so stop suspecting that I'm behind everything! I'm not that ruthless yet. Why don't any of you believe that I'm innocent?"Perhaps it was because none of the Steele family's elders were in this private room—Lara didn't want to hold herself back at all. She'd been holding herself back for close to the past year, and it was frustrating.Now, she turned to her parents as tears rolled down her face. She gnashed her teeth and wiped them away, refusing to show any weakness. She said coldly, "Since we've already caught the guy, let's take him to the police station so they can interrogate him.
"C'mon, you're already engaged to me. You should know what I'm like." Kieron chuckled softly. "Everything's been a mess tonight—we barely ate anything, so let's get some food. I know a place that serves delicious food. Sean used to bring us there all the time."Lara's lips trembled as if she wanted to say something, but she remained silent with her brows tightly furrowed."Don't worry about anything. Your parents and sister are fine, and the police have already caught the guy. Once they get to the bottom of this, your name will be cleared. But before that happens, you can't starve yourself out of anger. It's not worth it." Kieron held her hand.Then, he turned to pull her away. "C'mon, I'll take you out for something nice!""Wait!" Lara stopped him.He turned to look at her in confusion. "What now?""I… I…" She suddenly looked a little embarrassed. "How's my makeup?"Only then did he realize her makeup was indeed a bit smudged. "I have some wet wipes in my car, so you can clean
Asher shook his head. Robert stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked at Yasmine and Xavier as they played with the puppies. He sounded baffled as he said, "The Scott family hasn't made enemies out of anyone in recent years, have they?"Asher stood behind him. "Ms. Monica has been in accidents a few times now, and I heard that the most serious one was when Ms. Grace was with her. Because of that accident, Ms. Grace has ended up in her current state. I think… Ms. Monica should be their target.""You mean Monica's made an enemy out of someone?" Robert turned to look at him."That's my guess. I didn't ask for too many details on this matter," Asher said."That shouldn't be the case…" Robert held his walking cane tightly as he walked back to the couch. "We looked into every aspect of Monica's background when we were picking a suitable wife for Sean."She's someone of good character, which is rare in our circle. She's also always kept a low profile and is polite to everyone
Angeline didn't think she could continue condoning Melissa's behavior. Although she and Monica weren't considered friends, they were still acquaintances, and they'd worked together in the past.Before this, she couldn't tell Monica the truth because Sean was on his path to vengeance. She couldn't do anything to jeopardize his life. So all she could do was warn Sean so he could keep a close watch on Melissa. On her end, she would advise Monica to settle down or at least date someone.But things were different now.Sean had gotten the revenge he wanted, and nothing would put his life at risk anymore. Although Angeline still couldn't tell Monica the truth, she could tell Sean that she wouldn't mind reminding Monica to watch out for Melissa if anything were to happen to Monica again. That way, Sean would keep an eye on Melissa.And if Sean still refused to keep Melissa on a tight leash, it would lead to Scott Incorporated going after her. If that happened, keeping her safe and happy wo
As soon as the words were out of Angeline's mouth, the sound of lounge slippers padding across the floor rang out. Yasmine ignored the shock on Ned's face and turned to reach for Sean. "Hold me, Daddy!"Sean smiled and lifted her into his arms. Then, he stood beside Angeline and looked at Ned imperiously. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Fletcher. I'm Shane Kingston. Thank you for pushing Angie away in the past—it led to my relationship with her."Ned knew precisely who "Shane" was. Just a few days ago, he'd seen the news about Melissa's press conference explaining her relationship with "Shane".His mind buzzed. He knew Sean and Shane looked similar enough for Dexter's men to have gotten the wrong person. However, he hadn't expected "Shane" to have anything to do with Angeline!"You… Are you the kids' father?" Ned's voice was incredibly shaky."Yes, and again, thank you for that!" Sean smiled. "We've never told anyone about this because I didn't want to endanger Angie and the kids.
Sean didn't give Angeline the chance to finish. "You were right to bring this up to me!"He wrapped his arms around her from behind and continued, "You and the kids will always be my main priority. I know I said I want Melissa to remain safe and happy under my watch, but my feelings for her are purely familial love."She's family to me, and I must care for her. But you and the kids mean more to me than anything else in the world, including her."His honesty made Angeline feel slightly more at ease. She said, "Those are your words, not mine…""I swear on my life that I mean every word." He pressed a kiss to her head. "Can I stay here tonight? I want to sleep with you and the kids. Also, I came from Brayden's place upstairs, so no one will know I'm here.""Granddad made it clear that if anyone finds out about this, he won't allow the kids to see you anymore.""Got it. Don't worry about a thing. Mr. Lawson Senior raised me, and I owe him for that. I won't put him in a tough
Angeline nodded without saying anything. Once Nathaniel was gone, she received a call from Sean."Now that everything has been taken care of, I want to give you a gift," he said, the smile in his tone evident. "Can you have the kids spend Friday night at Grand Court Residences? I want to show all three of you my gift on Saturday."He missed Yasmine and Xavier terribly. Before resolving the issue with Melissa, he hadn't dared to say he wanted to see them. Even if Angeline were okay with it, Robert probably would've objected to his wishes. Now that the dust had settled, he couldn't wait to see them."I don't call the shots regarding the kids now. I'll have to ask Granddad," Angeline said."I'll talk to him about it." Sean was worried Robert would take his anger out on her. "This all started because I insisted on being with you, so I'll handle it. I'll visit Mr. Lawson Senior later today."Angeline didn't know how Sean's conversation with Robert went, but Robert had Asher drop
That night, Melissa called Sean. "Shane, let's publicly announce our divorce. We can tell everyone that we only got married on paper so the Lane family could offer you its protection."Tell them that Dexter repeatedly tried to harm you so he could take the Kingston family fortune, and tell them how he tried to snatch you from the Lane family so he could secretly deal with you."She paused, then continued, "Now that Dexter's in prison, we can get a divorce, and Lori can adopt me as her daughter. We'll become cousins, and we'll still be a family.""Melissa…"Sean was surprised. He didn't expect her to see the light in such a short time."Since you don't have any feelings for me and won't ever make me your wife, I'll settle to be Lori's daughter. That way, you'll always be my family!" Tears streamed down Melissa's face as she spoke. "I adore Lori and want to be her daughter.""Alright," Sean said."Can you head to Keman with me, then? We can visit Dad together before getting
Melissa stared at Lori, who chuckled gently. "It's alright. There's no need to rush into anything. Take your time to think about it. Get good rest for a few days, then go shopping with me. We can buy some clothes to keep up with the changing seasons."I heard from Brayden and Sean that you're the expert in fashion and dressing up. I've always wanted a daughter who could shop, exercise, travel, café hop, and go on spa days with me."She paused and continued, "I didn't get to do any of this with you because you weren't in the best state before this. Now, though, you're all better. You're back to normal, and you've regained your memories!""I'd love that!" Melissa said without hesitation. She'd only done these things with her mother and Emelia in her dreams, but that was all they were—dreams. She was delighted now that Lori was back and willing to make her dreams come true.Sean sat on the couch and sipped his coffee. He knew Lori was doing everything she could to make his life ea
Melissa nodded. Sean said, "I know you have no company management experience. Mr. Lane might have entrusted Trustworth Group to me, but it's still yours. Before you find someone to take over, my plan for the company is still to move its focus back to Lonla."The global situation isn't the best now, and Lonla is the safest place for expansion. That's why the company's focus has to return to Lonla—""You can hand the company over to Brayden," Melissa interrupted. "The only people in this world I trust are you, Dad, and Brayden. Now that Dad's in prison and you don't want me anymore, Brayden is all I have left.""I'm still your kin, Melissa. I won't kick you to the curb and leave you to die. Nevertheless, Trustworth Group is yours. You can have whoever you want to manage it. Brayden is capable of that." Sean looked at Brayden. "What do you think? Are you willing to take over Trustworth Group?""I'll do it as long as Melissa is okay with it!" Brayden nodded. He turned to look
"That's not it! I've always been willing to care for you, and I'm more than willing to care for you in the future! It's not something that I'm forced to do…" Brayden feared his words would inadvertently hurt Melissa, so he decided not to continue in that vein.He said, "C'mon, you should head downstairs to eat something. You've already slept the day away.""I don't want to eat!" Melissa lay down again and pulled the sheets around herself. She said dully, "I want to sleep for a bit longer. Shut the door on your way out."Seeing that she'd already shut her eyes and started weeping, Brayden said softly, "I'll have the kitchen keep the food warm for you. Remember to call me when you wake up, okay? I'll be right downstairs!""Okay." Brayden left the room after hearing Melissa's muffled reply. He shut the door behind him.Melissa remained upstairs. She didn't head downstairs, even when Sean returned. Sean had already spoken to Angeline on the phone and told her he wouldn't meet
Melissa slept in her room and only woke up at night. She removed her headphones and opened her red, swollen eyes. She stared dazedly at the night sky, only returning to her senses when her headphones fell out of her hands.Brayden, who'd been waiting outside this whole time, heard them fall to the floor and hurried into the room. He saw Melissa sitting cross-legged on the bed. She propped herself on one arm while leaning down to pick up the headphones.He hurried forward and picked them up for her, then remained on one knee by the bed. He looked up at her and said, "You slept for ages, Melissa. Do you want to have anything to eat? I got all your favorites, and there are different cuisines. I also got your favorite fruits and snacks!"He'd already had the maids throw out the food he'd bought at noon. Then, he'd had his subordinate buy a fresh batch.Melissa turned to look at him dazedly. She said hoarsely, "Brayden…""I'm here," he said. "C'mon, should we get something to eat
Melissa knew Sean well. So, it was impossible for her not to know if he was being serious. Sean was indeed threatening her, and he was using his life to do it. That way, she wouldn't dare to harm Angeline for fear of hurting him.She loved Sean so much that she could give up her life for him. She wondered why he was treating her that way. He knew she wouldn't allow even the slightest possibility of her threatening his safety.Just then, Sean received a call from Brayden. He said, "...Yeah, I've already picked Melissa up. We're heading to Southstream Manor now… Yeah, you can head over there. Buy some food on your way—Melissa probably hasn't eaten anything yet. She should be hungry."At his words, Melissa couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She covered her face and started sobbing. She'd spent her whole life dreaming of becoming Sean's wife, but he was now in love with someone else and no longer wanted her.Yet, she couldn't do anything about the situation, or she'd be hurting