“The grandmother has already decided for Violet to leave the company.”That was all Hailey said in her report to Travis.Travis, who was currently attending a dinner, couldn’t help but laugh at the brief statement. He thought Hailey would at least give him a full report on what exactly Lilian had said, but she didn’t.She was a woman of few words, wasn’t she?“And the others?” Travis asked when she offered nothing else.Actually, receiving a call from his mother before Hailey came to him, he didn’t need her report to know what his grandmother had said. Thalia had told him everything.But Travis wanted to hear what Hailey had to say. He felt a little regretful about having to attend this dinner tonight.“You can ask your mother about the others,” Hailey replied.Travis inwardly sighed. She was really keeping him in suspense!“Mr. Blake,” a warm voice interrupted Travis’ thoughts.Looking up, he saw a young woman who seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t remember who she was. He nodd
Katie and William supervised as all the servants and drivers of the mansion signed the agreement and put their fingerprints on it. Curious, Hailey also approached and took a copy of the agreement to read its contents.After skimming through it, she saw Travis did not intend to buy these people this time, but to directly bind them. This way, it was better than buying their silence.Hailey couldn’t help but turn to look at Travis, who looked at her calmly, with the slightest hint of tenderness radiating from his eyes.“Master, madam, everyone has signed the agreement,” Katie reported after counting everyone.The servants were surprised to hear Katie, who was from the Imperial Garden, speak with such respect to Hailey. However, what surprised them even more came next...Travis took Hailey’s hand and held it!In that moment, the room was filled with sharp intakes of breath.Hailey was still in a state of confusion when Katie called her “madam” and felt Travis grabbing her hand. Unconsciou
“I’m moving today and will be busy for the next few days, so I can only have lunch with you,” Hailey explained with a bright smile on her face.She would still have to work with Michelle for a long time, so there was no need to unmask the other woman for such a small matter. Besides, Hailey never intended to be friends with Michelle in the first place, so even if the latter had been pretending all this time, the former was not affected at all.Michelle thought to herself that it was probably a good idea to exchange some banter first, so things wouldn’t be so awkward.“Why are you moving so suddenly?” she asked.With a laugh, Hailey half-jokingly said, “It’s because of that minor incident on my previous business trip that exposed my family background. That’s why I have to move to a more secure house.”Back then, she had even asked Michelle for advice on how to maintain an ideal distance and a good relationship with her colleagues. Now, she was sitting here talking about something extre
“I had lunch with a colleague,” Hailey replied.“Oh?” Travis said. “Did you leave the office just to have lunch with a colleague?”Hailey was stunned. “How did you know I left the office?”Travis didn’t let Hailey know that all her movements were now under his scrutiny. “I overheard them saying that.”Hailey’s heart skipped a beat. Seriously, what was the point of trying to hide something?“You probably don’t even know who I had lunch with, do you?” Hailey asked, suspicious.“Are you going to say it was Mrs. Yancey?” Travis said.Hailey sighed. “I guess you still care about gossip.”“It’s not that. I just heard your name mentioned in passing. So I stopped and listened,” Travis said.He looked at Hailey purposefully to see how she reacted to his words. But there was no reaction from her.Hailey wasn’t concerned about how Travis had deliberately overheard a conversation when her name was mentioned. That was not important. If she had heard someone mention her name in conversation, she wo
“Welcome home, ma’am.” Layla was dressed in a new maid uniform. She looked incredibly fresh, like she had turned a few years younger. She approached Hailey and took Hailey’s bag with a bright smile on her face.Layla was the happiest to move to the new residence. She was now the head maid of a luxurious villa, with many people at her disposal. Everyone had to address her properly, just like she addressed Katie in the Imperial Garden. There was no more tremendous honor!She was glad to understand the situation well surrendered to Travis from the beginning, and was sincere in her dealings with Hailey. The other servants of the Blake mansion who had laughed at her misfortune at first were probably crying with envy, right?This time, Hailey did not overlook how the servants addressed her. However, she mentioned nothing in front of them. She waited until only Layla was left and asked, “Layla, didn’t you used to call me Young Lady before? Why did you change the way you address me?”Layla wa
Rowena knew Hailey was trying to deceive her, but she couldn't refute Hailey's words. Misfortune had plagued her son's life. No one could say for sure if Calvin would pass safely to the afterlife. Even if Calvin did, the matter had nothing to do with Hailey. Still, Rowena continued to hope for the best for him.Liam looked at Hailey with appreciation. The girl handled him calmly, and her reasons were justifiable. Among the three Blake siblings, Liam had the gentlest temperament. Although he only wanted everyone to live together in harmony, he never dared to criticize his wife. He had known that Rowena was going to send Calvin's portrait to Hailey's house. At first, he tried to dissuade Rowena, but it was futile. In the end, he finally allowed it.After Rowena found out that Hailey had moved the portrait, Liam knew he had to intervene. He considered it necessary to mediate in the conflicts between his wife and his daughter-in-law. Although he never cared about these things, especially
Would Hailey be willing to let Travis get what he wanted? “I remember your promise last time. You said I could make a request. I haven’t told you my request yet,” Hailey said slowly.Travis was reluctant to admit it. Seeing this, she emphasized, “Actually, you promised me twice.”“You remember it very clearly,” Travis was displeased, but still seemed indifferent.Hailey smiled. “If I don’t, I will suffer a lot.” She pushed Travis and put on her nightgown. She smiled charmingly.“Now, please tell me your idea.”Travis raised an eyebrow. His expressions that he showed from time to time were becoming more charming.“Go talk to my mother.” The first sentence from his mouth made Hailey’s heart tense.“Can’t I go with someone else?” she hesitated.Travis didn’t respond. Instead, he asked her, “Tell me, who is in cha
After Michelle left, Hailey noted Michelle’s birthday and instructed Laura to write it down. She also told Laura to remind her if she forgot. Meanwhile, the hiring in the secretarial office was flowing. After Travis lifted the gender restriction, the recruitment went smoothly. Soon, two experienced men joined the company.As Hailey had disclosed Michelle’s plan to Travis, she deliberately distanced Michelle when forming the new project preparation team. Michelle confirmed with Hailey whether she really wanted to be a part of it.Knowing this was Christian’s planned project, Hailey hurriedly rejected it again. However, recognizing that she considered the company’s best interests and reminded her to recruit new secretarial talents before starting the project, Travis promised Hailey again that he would grant her one more request. He knew very well that materialistic rewards could not convince Hailey. He felt Hailey lacked nothing. Most importantly,
“Has my mother left?” Travis asked, even though he already knew the answer.Hailey pretended to smile and said, “What a great moment. Don’t tell me someone already informed you of what happened here?”Travis didn’t even blush despite Hailey’s statement and said, “I don’t know about your closed-door discussion.”Hailey looked at Layla, who approached her with a thin blanket and said, “I’ll tell you later.”“Okay. I’ll go now,” Travis said as he hung up the call.Layla covered Hailey, who was resting on the couch, with the blanket. The air conditioning temperature was low.Soon after, Hailey’s phone rang again. It was Travis once more. She didn’t hesitate and answered the call.“My mom is here,”
Thalia was very punctual.Hailey, Layla, Harry, and Laura stood up and greeted her by the driver’s seat.Originally, Layla wanted to greet her with all the servants standing in a row. However, Hailey said it was unnecessary. She did not organize something so extravagant when her in-laws came last time even though the two were looking for a fight. However, Hailey believed it was more important for her to greet herself. Everything else was not as necessary. Not to mention that with all the servants around, it would be challenging to keep a low profile. They might also be curious about how she would act when Thalia was present. That’s why she managed without them.If she overdid it and accidentally leaked into the main mansion, someone would say she was trying to butter up Thalia.After Thalia exited the car and saw Hailey greeting her at the entrance, she smiled and wrapped her arms tightly around Hailey
Travis addressed Eva normally. He called her “aunt.” But Eva was so used to being called Madame Winters that she felt uncomfortable with the new term.“Ms. Blake...” She only got out two words when Travis interrupted her.“You’re my elder, so call me Travis,” Travis whispered.If any of the Blake family members had been here, their eyes would surely pop out of their sockets. Travis rarely spoke with such respect, and only a few people had been worthy of such consideration. His grandmother was one of them.Eva’s lips trembled. In the end, she couldn’t say his name. “You... What did you want to tell me?”Either way, there was no way out. She had heard too many unfortunate news, so she thought she could probably bear one more.Travis’s response caught her off guard. “I would like to talk to you about Hailey,” he replied calmly.“Eh?” Eva was f
Fortunately, Travis didn’t press on about the friend or the photo. After hearing Hailey’s response, he lowered his head and returned to the financial news section.Hailey breathed a sigh of relief. After finishing her breakfast, she gathered her things and prepared for her visit to the hospital. Her uncle’s surgery was scheduled soon, so she wanted to keep him company as much as possible before that.Travis did not know that Hailey was going out. According to his usual schedule, he usually headed to the mansion before lunch. Judging by his bare face and comfortable clothes, she could guess his destination.However, she still asked, “Where are you going?”“To the hospital,” Hailey said.“Yesterday, I went to the mansion and informed Grandma in advance. I can go to the hospital directly now.”Immediately, Travis dropped everything and stood up. “I’m coming with you.”
When Travis appeared, Hailey continued to check both the study room and the bedroom. The sight of him shocked her greatly.“Didn’t you say you would come back tomorrow?” she asked, confused.Travis was supposed to return from his business trip tomorrow, but here he was.“I finished my work early, so I returned,” Travis replied. He didn’t tell her he had returned a day earlier because Hailey had instructed the servants to clean the villa and store his things to welcome his mother.Hailey said, “Oh, you came back just when I had someone helping me clean up the place. Can you go back to the Imperial Garden tonight? Don’t come tomorrow night either.”Frustrated, Travis questioned the obvious. “Why?”Hailey raised her eyebrows. “Don’t you know? Mrs. Thalia, your mother, will come to inspect my house in two days. I was worried she would check the upstairs, so I kept all
“About what you mentioned earlier... I think it’s a good idea.”The following day, Travis suddenly brought up this topic to Hailey.Hailey still felt quite dazed, with a bewildered expression. “What?”Travis was calm. “About getting Uncle Liam and Aunt Rowena to have another child.”Hailey instantly woke up. Travis’s words quickly dispelled her drowsiness. “What? Why suddenly?”Travis replied, “I just said; suddenly, I feel like it’s a good idea.”Hailey touched Travis’s forehead and then felt her own. “Do you have a fever or something?”Travis gently removed her hand and held it in his palm, with a serious expression. “I’m serious.”“Serious? Doesn’t it sound like you’re trying to separa
Hailey was taken aback as if Travis had said something truly horrible.“I don’t know.” She was silent for a while. Then she asked with a blank face, “Can’t you finish this contract before anyone finds out?”Travis tightened his grip on Hailey. Unable to control his strength correctly, he was about to crush her jaw.“Ah...!” Hailey cried out in pain and tried to pry his fingers off.But Travis had no intention of letting go. Hailey’s words were sharp and painful needles that pricked his heart.“So, was it all a misunderstanding? Did she not care for me at all?”At that moment, Travis had never doubted his sixth sense more.“So, what you’re saying is: if someone finds out about us tomorrow, you want to cut ties with me today?” he asked, his face grim. With each word, his heart hardened even more.Hailey thought, “I guess Travis isn’t d
Christian was a complete gentleman to Hailey. They were friends, but not the kind who had known each other for a long time and could make inappropriate jokes. Therefore, their behavior seemed normal to everyone—everyone except Travis.Travis’s expression had always been icy, so his attitude was nothing unusual to everyone. Even Helena couldn’t tell what he was thinking, let alone anyone else.After dinner, Christian drank some wine and became bolder. He boldly asked Hailey to go out with him over the weekend, saying he had plans with some friends to hike in the suburbs. If she was interested, they could go together.Hailey could feel everyone’s eyes burning holes in her. She smiled, “I’m not sure if I’m free this weekend. I’ll let you know when I’m sure.”Everything seemed normal and harmonious, at least until dinner ended, and Hailey got into the car. After she drove away and lost sight of the o
When Hailey went to sit down, she looked at Travis. His gaze was elsewhere, and he wasn’t looking at her.Christian, who had been paying attention, noticed who she was looking at. He assumed she was afraid of Travis and sighed with sadness.Since Hailey was being so cautious, he also had to be careful. He didn’t want to make things difficult for her. He knew Hailey was shunning him. If she felt the Blakes would misinterpret things if she got too close to him, she would keep her distance.When Christian arrived at the office building a moment ago, he noticed something. Hailey now had a driver and a bodyguard. The two people accompanying her were probably her driver and bodyguard. They even shamelessly followed her to the company! What the hell happened? Why didn’t he hear anything about this?He had to find the opportunity to ask her about this carefully. Thinking about it, he conclu