It wasn't until he dropped Angeline off at home that Lenny mustered the courage to speak up, "Ms. Angeline...""Lenny, it's not your fault. You're doing fine," Angeline said, not knowing how to explain. She looked at Lenny, who seemed at a loss for words, and sighed, "You were trained by Brayden to protect Sean, and it's a waste for you to follow me. Once Mr. Millstone arranges for someone to come over, you should go back to following Sean."He nodded and said, "Ms. Angeline, you should know this. Although I was trained by Mr. Green to protect Mr. Lawson, I never had any second thoughts when he asked me to be your bodyguard… I hope you'll let me continue to follow you around."Angeline looked at Lenny, who seemed sincere, and decided not to say anything in the end. She merely reminded him to drive safely on the way back.Asher had met Lenny before, and it was quite difficult for him to find a bodyguard and chauffeur equivalent to Lenny. During the journey when Asher went to pic
"Oh, by the way," said Nathaniel in a hushed voice, his steps halting momentarily,"I know you don't have any feelings for me. If Grandpa says anything he shouldn't, please don't take it to heart. And if he makes any strange requests, feel free to refuse. Grandpa's leniency toward women is beyond your imagination."Angeline nodded. By then, they had already reached the main hall."Granddad, Mr. Hooper Senior, Mr. and Mrs. Hooper…" she greeted everyone with a smile.Seated beside Robert, Sean was busy replying to messages on his phone. He didn't even bother lifting his head when they arrived."Angeline!" Jeremy, who had been chatting with Robert quickly waved at Angeline and said, "We were just talking about you. "Your grandfather was boasting about all the health supplements he's been taking from Vitality Biotech Group. I can see he's become much healthier. With such good products… you shouldn't forget to recommend them to me."She sat on the couch and smiled, replying, "I didn't
Astonished, Angeline looked at Sean, who was smiling as he answered Jeremy's question. She tried to retrieve the glass with her fingers, but it wouldn't budge.Everyone else was focused on the intense debate between Robert and Jeremy, so no one noticed her slight movement. She didn't dare to be too obvious, afraid that someone might notice and misunderstand.So, she could only sip the perfect temperature mushroom soup in her bowl with a spoon.Meanwhile, Robert and Jeremy behaved like children as their argument became more intense amidst the crowd's laughter.Sean picked up Angeline's glass and emptied it in one gulp before casually placing the empty glass back in front of her."Let me say it one last time at this table. The project the Steele family is currently handling preparing is bound to lose money. Anyway, the Hoopers will not be involved..." Jeremy's voice grew louder after a few drinks. Then, he looked at Angeline and asked, "Angeline, what do you think? I trust your
"Grandpa, it's your fault. Angeline had quite a lot to drink because your wine is too delicious," Nathaniel said jokingly.Jeremy smiled and said, "Send her off with a case of my wine later when she leaves."Concerned, Aurelia said, "I don't usually stay at the old mansion, so I don't have any clothes for her to change into. Does she have spare clothes in her car? We can send someone to fetch them."That day, Asher was the one who had picked Angeline up from her home, and he drove Robert's car. So, there were no spare clothes in the car."It was Mr. Millstone who brought Angeline here, so there should be no spare clothes for her in the car," said Sean as he got up from his seat, supporting himself on the back of the chair."I'll take her home first. Mr. Millstone… please watch over Dad and make sure he doesn't drink too much.""Sean, let Mr. Millstone send Angeline home!" Robert suggested.He didn't want to appear too obvious in front of others, so he kept a smiling face when he
"Okay. Keep in touch," Angeline replied."I'll invite you into our outing chat group later. Remember to accept it," reminded Nathaniel."No problem."With her affirmative reply, he smiled as he closed the car door for them and watched the sedan leave.Just as the car left the old Hooper residence, the sky began to drizzle. Sitting in the back seat, both Sean and Angeline remained silent.The suit that was draped over her carried his scent. It brushed against her skin like a small brush scratching her palm, making her feel uneasy…She took off the suit and handed it back to him."Thank you."Sean glanced at the suit, took it, and tossed it aside impatiently.Feeling slightly tipsy, Angeline leaned back against the seat and looked out the window. The raindrops tapped lightly on the car window, distorting the bustling traffic and colorful lights outside into a kaleidoscope of colors as they passed over her flawless face and delicate neck."Taylor, pull over ahead and buy a bot
The temperature continued to rise in the cramped and dark confined space. The sounds of kissing, breathing, and fabric friction all seemed incredibly ambiguous.Though the two were already pressed together so closely that there was hardly any space between them, it wasn't enough for Sean. He had been longing intensely for Angeline.His large hands over hers kept pulling her deeper into his embrace as if he wanted to crush her in his arms.The chaotic sounds of raindrops hitting the car windows and roof were stifling and urgent.Perhaps due to the lack of oxygen, she could feel her spine trembling slightly. Even her legs, which were braced against his waist, were shaking and could barely support her weight. Her body softened and slid down against his hot and solid body, completely engulfed in his arms. Her head rested weakly on his shoulder as she was forced to endure his lips and tongue entwining with hers, completely losing control of herself and struggling to comply.Sensing
Angeline's slightly parted red lips made Sean unable to look away. He wanted to devour her. She could feel his thumb pressing against her chin, signaling her to look up…"Sean…" she whimpered, her voice breathy and coquettish. "Stop kissing. Mr. Powell is coming back."He brushed away the strands of hair dampened by fine sweat. With a hoarse voice, he said, "If Taylor doesn't have this much insight, he wouldn't have been my assistant for so many years."During their first encounter when she had been drugged, it was Taylor who had bought the clothes and brought them over. Considering what had happened afterward, how could Taylor not know?At this moment, Taylor had already gotten some water and hangover medicine. He was standing under the pharmacy awning, waiting for Sean's call.Angeline took a breath, refusing Sean's attempt to kiss her again. She got off him and rolled down the car window slightly.The cold air rushed in, relieving the heat on her flushed cheeks slightly. S
"I have to leave after going through these documents." Sean glanced at his watch. "Let's head upstairs first."Angeline tightened her grip on her bag's strap. Hadn't he said that he wasn't going to go upstairs?She put on a straight face like there really were documents waiting for them upstairs. She nodded and said, "Yeah, let's go."Ned watched as Sean and Angeline entered the building and elevator. He stood at the entrance, not daring to follow them.Inside the elevator, without saying a word, Sean stood beside Angeline with a hand in his pocket.When they arrived at the top floor, Angeline walked out. She turned to ask Sean, "Are you going to go down now, or do you—"He strode out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and kissed her. She gripped his arms tight as he practically lifted her off the floor. Her toes could barely touch the floor. They staggered backward as Sean pinned her to the door.The door swung open after being unlocked. Sean didn't break the kiss as he pushed A
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