The villa had two floors. The first floor had a huge living area with only one room for the butler. However, when Angeline moved in, she said that she didn't need a butler.The bedroom mostly took up the second floor. The bathtub was also on the second floor, and it had a view of the sea. The second-floor balcony even had a telescope installed so that the inhabitants could look at the stars.The manager smiled and said to Angeline, "Rest here for a while, Ms. Lawson. When you're ready, the yacht will pick you up from the first floor. If you need anything, just give us a call. There'll be a personal butler to serve you.""Alright. Thank you!" Angeline inclined her head to the manager. She said to Lenny, "I've already checked in. Shouldn't you be heading to the airport to pick your girlfriend up?"As they were confident in the security provided by the Steeles, accommodation for Lenny had been arranged elsewhere. Lenny had the weekend off, and Angeline had allowed him to bring
The sea breeze had swept his ink-black hair into a mess, and he had the top three buttons of his shirt unfastened. The wind blew into his shirt and made it balloon up.Nathaniel saw Kieron gesturing enthusiastically to Angeline. He seemed to be explaining the layout of the resort to her. Nathaniel walked over to Sean and leaned against the railing with both his hands in his pockets as he looked in the direction of Angeline and Kieron."Gather a team to discuss this issue. Give me the conclusion once you're done." Sean hung up.Nathaniel jutted out his chin, signaling Sean to look into the distance. "Aren't you worried that Kieron will steal your precious Angeline? He's a charmer and has always been very smooth with the ladies. I heard that Mr. Lawson Senior struck his name off the pool of marriage candidates right from the start."Behind his sunglasses, Sean's calm gaze fell on Angeline. "The Lawsons struck Kieron off the list of marriage alliances because they don't like the
Although they were all rivals in the business world, they had all gathered here for Kieron's sake. Everyone had put aside their business dealings and were getting on very well, just as they had done when they were children.Amongst them, Sean held the highest status— thanks to Robert. Monica laughed and threw a grape at Lara.Angeline was very sporting and walked over obligingly to Lara. She didn't deliberately avoid looking at Sean. She even greeted both him and Nathaniel as she walked by them to sit down next to Lara. What had Angeline called him just now?Had she called him her uncle?Was she already immersed in her role?When she was writhing under him in bed, she called him by his name. But the moment all his clothes were on, she regarded him as her uncle.The phone in his pocket vibrated relentlessly. Sean took out his phone. He glanced at the screen, then walked a distance away to pick up the call. Angeline was new to the group and was considered a rather special per
"Didn't you promise to have fun with us? Why are you still focusing so much on your work? You're such a workaholic!"Kieron complained about Sean before looking at Angeline. "Angeline, talk to your uncle. He's such a workaholic that out of 365 days a year, he wishes he could spend 800 days at work! He never comes out with us, and now that he's here, he's such a killjoy.""Well, he's just too competent," Angeline said to Kieron, smiling.Sensing that Angeline had no intention of persuading Sean, Kieron put a hand on Sean's shoulder. "If you leave, aren't you afraid we'll bully your young relative? You know our game rules!"Monica looked excited. She tried to cajole him. "Yes, it's not often that you come out to relax and have some fun. It won't kill you to put work aside for a while.""If you don't say anything, I'll take your silence as a yes. Sean will play with us!" Kieron said as he stood up, still pressing on Sean's shoulder. "Same rules as always! Truth or dare! We're
"Oh!" Kieron exclaimed.As expected, he looked at Angeline. "Ladies have the right to choose, so I'll let you decide—truth or dare?"Angeline still did not know the extent of their dares, so she said, "Truth!""Alright!" Kieron glanced at Nathaniel. "Mr. Hooper Senior and Mr. Lawson Senior are trying to set you and Nathaniel up. Are you willing to accept Nathaniel?"Rachel looked at Angeline with wet eyes."No." Angeline answered straightforwardly."Why?" Kieron continued asking.Angeline smiled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She said, "That's another question. You can ask that next time."In the third round, a young man drew the winning card.He grinned and looked at Sean. "Mr. Lawson, it wouldn't be asking too much for you and your fiancée to make out for one minute, would it?"Sean raised his beer bottle, flicked the cap off, and drank the whole lot as everyone whistled and cheered.The alcohol dribbled out of the corners of his mouth and do
"Although we're engaged, it wasn't me. I want to know who it was, too!" Monica said, smiling as she leaned her cheek against one hand."That's right! People like Sean, who have lived like monks for a long time, can't stop once they get started. They won't be able to hold back at all! Tell us honestly… Who is it? Is the person among the people Kieron invited this time?""That's another question," Sean said carelessly."Let's book the next question in advance! Whoever gets it, remember to ask him! Ask him persistently! He's been drinking all day today. Regardless of his alcohol tolerance, it's probably close to his limit. Let him add on to our fund if he refuses to answer!" Nathaniel said, clapping his hands.Monica got the card with the highest score again but did not want to embarrass herself in front of so many people. She changed the subject and turned to Angeline. "Angeline, how many people have you slept with?"Perhaps Sean really had had too much to drink that day. He looke
"It's just a joke," Lara said before glancing at her watch. "I've got to get back. My male model is already washed up and waiting for me in bed!" Lara stood up as she spoke, swaying a little."I'll go with her to the yacht." Angeline helped Lara into the yacht and watched as she left. She looked around but could see no sign of Sean on the beach. She looked again at the campfire. The people remaining already had a lot to drink, and they were beginning to dance around the campfire. She pulled her blanket tighter around her, unwilling to return.The yacht had just left, so it would take some time to come back. Angeline was slightly tipsy. She walked along the beach with the blanket wrapped tightly around her. A bright moon hung where the sea met the horizon, and she listened to the soft sound of the waves lapping against the rocks. She carried her slippers in her hand as she walked barefoot on the empty beach, leaving footprints in the sand. Perhaps it was because Sean hadn't
The lights weren't on, but if anyone exited from the other villas, both Angeline and Sean could be seen clearly."Are you angry because I told you to restrain yourself in the office the other day?" Angeline asked gently. Not long ago, Sean's possessiveness had been like a tight net that encased Angeline completely, making her feel very secure. Now that Sean had suddenly let go, Angeline was very unused to it. The metallic lighter had been rubbed until it gleamed, and the flickering flame lit up Sean's impassive expression. As the lid of the lighter clicked shut again, the weak flame disappeared in a second. Sean continued twirling the lighter in his fingers. "Wasn't I very restrained in the past?" Sean's gaze was very distant. They were so distant that Angeline almost felt that their affection and his wild passion had all been a figment of her imagination. She and Sean had indeed behaved like this previously. They would never contact each other unless they had somethin
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