"Even if you die, it won't bring Anne back…" Angeline looked into Ned's eyes. The iciness in her voice hurt him. "Ned, you no longer have a place in my heart, and I don't need you anymore! I once told you that you used to be my entire world. All the happiness I had in my life came from you, but now… there are many people who make me happy, and you're not one of them!"Every word she said made it clear to Ned that she would not consider him. In the past, Angeline's world had been so small that Ned was the only one in it.Now, Angeline's world was very big. It was big enough to contain everyone except for Ned.Angeline pushed Ned aside, pulled the door open, and entered the elevator once more. Ned could neither hurt Angeline nor force her to do anything. The only thing he could do was to watch her leave as tears rolled down his cheeks. He loved Angeline more than anything. He had considered forcing her to be with him and to take her for his own. He had even considered usin
"Don't worry. No one will find out about what your mother experienced in Emmerson Village. Mr. Lawson Senior has covered any trace of her very well! Besides, Jessica has always been the only successor to Lawson Global." Sean held Angeline's soft hand in his and comforted her gently.Just as Angeline had said to Ned, no one would believe that the only daughter of the Lawsons and the only successor to Lawson Global had once been abducted and sold to a remote, poor place like Emmerson Village.If Rowan hadn't deceived Jessica, she would never have left her bodyguards' sight.Besides, in order to protect Jessica, Robert had never announced her disappearance to the public. He had only claimed that Jessica had been facing challenges in her mental health due to how strict he had been on her and that he had sent her abroad to recuperate. When they finally found Jessica, Robert had come up with the story of Angeline's birth mother and her child dying on the operating table. This had been
Angeline had clearly heard Sean on the phone just now."Yeah."Sean got up and walked over to Angeline. He took the towel from her and dried her hair, saying, "I'll control Melissa, and I'll make sure that she doesn't cause any trouble. Let me dry your hair."Sean led her to sit in front of the dressing table. After he had blow-dried her hair, she looked at his reflection in the mirror and hesitated before asking, "How are you planning to keep an eye on Melissa while ensuring her safety and happiness? To Melissa… the greatest happiness she can have is to be together with Shane. Can you give her that?"Sean sat at the side of the bed and turned Angeline around to face him. "I won't get together with her, Angeline… You know you're the only one I love.""She is willing to pretend to have amnesia and to act like she only has the intelligence of a child, all so that she can be together with you. You should know that Melissa will do anything to stay with you." Angeline's voice w
Angeline's brow furrowed as she looked at Sean.When she didn't answer, Sean continued, "You and the children will always be the most important thing in my heart! We're in love. Why do we have to split up because of Melissa? I never backed down even with Mr. Lawson Senior, and I won't do so because of Melissa! Angeline, I've already told you that you can only be mine."He raised a hand and pressed it against Angeline's cheek. "I'll never choose between you and Melissa. In every choice I make, you will always be my priority!"After a moment, Angeline looked at Sean as she spoke, "I don't want to waste too much energy on relationships, Sean… I love you, but I also love Mom, Granddad, and the children! I love the Lawsons and Lawson Global, and I don't want my emotions to be affected because of a relationship or for it to affect other matters.""It won't." Sean's thumb rubbed the corner of her mouth gently. He was unable to resist pulling her onto his lap. "Angeline, I'm happy th
Sean still cared greatly about how Angeline felt, even though he felt an uncontrollable desire for her. However, he could still stop if she felt uncomfortable."Yes…" She nodded weakly. "A little.""Alright. Let me snuggle you to sleep," he said."Okay…" That night, Angeline lay in Sean's arms. She wasn't sure if it was because of the alcohol she had drunk or because Sean was with her, but she slept very well. She actually woke up half an hour later than usual.Angeline turned and saw that the space beside her was empty. Sean had left a note on the pillow saying he was going to Hooper Group to discuss their collaboration. He left before anyone else was awake to not cause any trouble for Angeline if he were to be sighted.She got out of bed and headed out. The housekeeper had already laid breakfast on the table and kept it warm. Angeline drank a glass of warm water. She gripped the glass tightly as she thought about what Sean had said the night before about letting Meliss
Angeline did not say a word. She put down her milk and continued eating breakfast.Brayden continued speaking, "Shane has finished what he set out to do. But… have you thought about what it will do to his reputation if he abandons Melissa to be with you, the successor of the Lawsons? There's Mr. Lane, too… Mr. Lane is now in prison, and Melissa has no one left. Now she's even—""I talked to him about it last night." Angeline cut through his burbling. "I refuse to be in an ambiguous relationship that's neither here nor there. I can't accept having Melissa wedged between us. I told him to make a choice."Brayden, who was about to launch into a spirited tirade, was shocked. "What? You talked to Shane about it?""Yeah!" Angeline nodded. "Now that Brian is in jail, Sean will not toss Melissa aside and neglect her. If so… it would be best if we split up." Brayden looked confused. "But… you guys have made it through despite being in different countries. Now that everything i
Angeline grabbed the milk beside her and tossed it at Brayden's face.His jaw dropped in shock as milk trickled down his eyelashes and dripped off his jawline. He wiped his face. "Angeline! Have you gone mad? Don't you hate that rapist father of yours, too? Why do you care what I say about him? Didn't he—""Will you leave on your own, or do you want my bodyguards to see you out?" Angeline asked before he could finish. She looked impassive. Brayden felt that Angeline was an unreasonable, ungrateful woman. He pulled out a few tissues and wiped his face roughly before turning and walking out.He had been in a position of authority for so many years that no one had ever tossed anything at him before. He felt that Angeline simply did whatever she wanted because she had Sean's support.Brayden had only been inside for five minutes. When the bodyguards saw him exit with his face covered in milk, they looked at each other, trying to stop themselves from laughing.Brayden took the
Brayden planned to mention it to Angeline so that she could put in a good word for him in case Sean found out. However, with things the way they were, Angeline would probably egg Sean on to give Brayden a beating instead.Brayden showered and changed his clothes. Then he headed upstairs again, only to learn that Angeline had locked the door to the fire escape. The bodyguards stationed in front of her door were also gone. He figured that she had probably gone to work.Brayden kicked the door hard. He had put in all the effort to climb the stairs, only to find she was gone.In any case, he was determined to help Sean settle the issue. Otherwise, Sean and Melissa would probably never have children.…Angeline went to the office in a temper. When she stepped out of the elevator, everyone in the secretariat saw her stormy expression and immediately passed the news on, telling the other staff to watch out as Angeline appeared in a foul mood. One of the staff members in the secretari
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