"Are you with my mom?" Xavier's youthful and steady voice came from the other end of the phone.Sean looked back at Angeline and responded, "Yes.""You'd better not bully my mom! I haven't accepted you as my and Yasmine's dad yet!" Xavier warned."Alright. Rest assured. I won't bully your mom," Sean replied, a smile tugging at his lips.Over Angeline's phone, Yasmine waved at Angeline. "Mommy, you should rest early! I'll call you again tomorrow. Xavier? Where did he go?"Yasmine shouted, "Xavier, don't you want to say goodbye to mom?""Forget it. Xavier might have gone out. You and Xavier, be good, okay? I'll hang up now," Angeline said gently."Okay! Bye, Mommy."After hanging up, Angeline clutched her phone tightly and met Sean's smiling eyes. He said, "Xavier called me, asking me to stay and take care of you.""No wonder he disappeared," Angeline replied while standing up with her phone in hand."Can I sleep in the guest room tonight?" Sean asked."I'm fine. You don't nee
Sean kept the lighter in his pocket when he saw Angeline. White smoke curled from his lips as he moved the cigarette aside and spoke into the phone. "Send it over as soon as possible."After hanging up, Sean began to button up his shirt from bottom to top.The visual impact of the man with dark hair, deep-set eyes, high nose bridge, sharp jawline, the cigarette at his lips, and the slender fingers buttoning his shirt was intense and filled with tension.Angeline's heart beat rapidly again.She cleared her throat and turned to enter the kitchen. Pouring coffee beans into the machine, she started brewing coffee for herself. Seeing Sean put out his cigarette and enter from the balcony, she asked, "Do you want some coffee?""Coffee at this hour?" Sean placed his phone on the dining table and walked toward the open kitchen counter."The data from several experiments in the lab are all incorrect, but I can't find the reason. I need to stay up tonight to watch the experiment videos,"
Sean used his foot to hook the bedroom door closed. He pressed Angeline against the wall. His scorching body pressed tightly against hers, leaving no room for her to struggle. The hand against the wall turned off the light.Darkness enveloped the bedroom. The sudden loss of sight heightened all of Angeline's senses. She heard Sean's heavy breathing and her own rapid heartbeat. Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she felt the bulging veins on Sean's sturdy arms. His heat burned like his kisses.Sean's kisses overwhelmed Angeline like a beast overpowering its prey. She could hardly breathe, losing the strength to push him away. While the kisses dazed Angeline, Sean lifted her and threw her onto the bed.The sensation of falling momentarily cleared her mind. She propped herself up on her elbows and gasped for air. Sean was at the bed's edge, unbuttoning his shirt. Angeline clutched the sheets while her breathing was erratic. "Sean... We shouldn't make this mistake again."Sean leane
Taylor hoped Sean wouldn't be angry enough to dock his bonus. Angeline closed the door and placed the pajamas on the couch, avoiding eye contact with Sean. "I still need to watch the lab videos. You should rest early," she said softly."Angeline..." Sean lit a cigarette and asked, "Should we talk about our relationship?"Angeline gripped the hem of her clothes tightly. Sean's affection for her was evident and unmasked. Did she like Sean? She thought she did, but Robert would never accept her being with Sean. "Let's find a time to file for a divorce." Angeline mustered the courage to look at Sean.Sean didn't get angry at her words. He sat on the arm of the couch and pulled Angeline close. "Ask yourself. Do you dislike my kisses and dislike being with me?" Sean's voice was steady. "I can feel that you long for me, which means you like me at least, right?""I admit it." Angeline clenched her fists and met Sean's gaze. "I like you."Her heart raced even with the slightest accidenta
Amid tension and embarrassment, Angeline sensed something unusual about Sean that day. Looking up at him, she inquired, "Are you asking this because you're leaving the Lawson family?"Sean chuckled softly at her words. "I've said it before that you're very smart.""Where are you going?" Angeline asked instinctively.Sean tightened his hand around Angeline's waist and pulled her closer. "Will you miss me?" he teased.She placed her hands between them and expressed her concern. "When are you leaving? Does Mr. Lawson Senior know? Have you two discussed this?"Sean revealed, "At Mr. Lawson Senior's birthday party this month, your identity as a Lawson family member will be announced. I'll leave after the party. Mr. Lawson Senior is aware of it.""You can't go!" Angeline clutched Sean's shirt. "Lawson Global can't do without you right now. Besides… you have a stronger bond with Mr. Lawson Senior than I do! I can see that he cares a lot about you!"Angeline suddenly remembered an incid
After the door slammed loudly, the living room stayed lit. Only the faucet that was not fully turned off was left. It was dripping and echoing throughout the night.Angeline woke up the next day in her darkened bedroom. Her body felt so sore that she could barely lift her arms. It was nearly 11:00 am when she checked her phone. She had dozens of missed calls.A note from Sean was on the bedside table: "Your phone was on silent to ensure you slept well. Breakfast is warm in the pot. I've gone to the office. I'll be back this afternoon to have lunch with you."Angeline put on her robe and slippers. Her legs gave out as soon as she stood up, and she fell back onto the bed. Memories of the night with Sean flashed through her mind. They had gone to the bathroom for a shower, but things escalated.Angeline covered her face with her hands. She had never thought of herself in such a light. Her phone vibrated again. It was Sean calling. Biting her swollen lip, she answered, "Hello..."Imme
The day for delivery arrived. Ned must have been anxious. "No worries. Go meet with them. Set a high price. If they ask who else you've sold the formula to, tell them you've given it to your boss and will ask for them. They're in a hurry, so you can ask for some fees. That money is all yours. That depends on how much you want!" Angeline spoke with a hint of laughter in her voice.Billy immediately brightened up at the mention of money. "Alright! I'll do as you say!"Giving enough incentive when asking for a favor was something Angeline understood well. "I'll send you a list later. After dragging them along for a while, give them the list. Tell them your boss sold the formula to the companies on the list," Angeline added."Sure, Ms. Emmerson. You can count on me."After the call, Angeline sent Billy a long list and took the emergency contraception. Her legs were still weak. Feeling she couldn't go out in her current state, she sat on the living room carpet to watch the lab videos.
"Exactly. Mr. Lawson Senior didn't even have his dinner today. It was only after Beautiful Ms. Lawson and I brought him some milk that he drank a little," Yasmine said with her mouth close to the microphone.Angeline's grip on her phone tightened as she felt uneasy. She said to Yasmine and Xavier, "You two must be especially good in the next few days. Please don't upset Mr. Lawson Senior, okay?""Don't worry, Mommy. I'm always good!" Yasmine assured her."Alright, you two should get some rest early. Be good!"After ending the video call with Yasmine and Xavier, Angeline looked at Sean, who was still on the phone, and bit her lip.After a while, Sean looked at Angeline after feeling her gaze. He said a few words to the person on the other end of the line and then hung up."What's the matter?" Sean closed the sliding door behind him."Did you talk to Mr. Lawson Senior today about leaving the Lawson family?" Angeline asked.Sean sat down behind Angeline with his elbows on his kne
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