Winston leaned against his car, smoking a cigarette. Right then, he lifted his head, and their eyes met. November's cold was biting, and the wind made the bare branches quiver. When the breeze swept through, Millie's hair fluttered against her face.Winston blew out a smoke ring and straightened his body before stubbing his cigarette in the trash. With a frown, Millie pulled her coat tighter around her. It was clear that she had no intention of acknowledging him. After that, Winston walked toward her, the faint scent of tobacco lingering in the air around him. Since he wasn't a heavy smoker, the smell wasn't overpowering. Yet, Millie still disliked it."Done with work?" he asked patiently. Millie hummed in response. She glanced at Winston and said, "What a coincidence, Mr. Greer. I'm just about to head home."She knew he had been waiting for her. However, she didn't want anything to do with him, so she tried to brush him off."I was waiting for you, and you know it. Let's g
Millie shot the two men a disdainful glance. She then walked around them and headed toward the bus stop.In the past, she wouldn't have hesitated to choose Winston. Perhaps she would have gone with Sean to make him jealous. But Millie had grown past the stage of using such immature tactics. "Millie, are you avoiding this?" Sean suddenly asked. "Have you forgotten what you said in the car?"She had claimed that there was no possibility with Winston. So why was she shying away from making a choice now? "I'm not avoiding anything. I just don't want to be caught up in your drama!" Millie glared at Sean. She found it annoying that he was stirring the pot.The bus arrived just then, and Millie quickly boarded. As she looked out of the window, she saw Winston staring at her in silence. On the other hand, Sean's handsome face showed a calm detachment. It was clear that he was just teasing her and playing games, a spontaneous idea that popped into his head. Millie could even sense that
The breeze drifted in through the car window, carrying a chill that was hard to describe. Leaning back against the seat, Winston instinctively pulled out his phone to text Millie. He wasn't sure when it started, but he had somehow turned into the clingy one. He found himself constantly wanting to message her. Even while at work, he had the urge to see her.Now, Winston finally understood why Millie had acted the way she did back then. It wasn't surprising. It was simply what happened when someone meant so much to you. While controlling others was easy, taming one's own desires was the real challenge. Winston stared into the distance, a heavy weight settling in his chest. He was aware that he had lost Millie and knew that he needed to make amends. Yet, in the face of her cold demeanor and refusal, he felt powerless. It was as though they were at an impasse. No, perhaps it was only Winston who was stuck. Millie, on the other hand, was moving forward. In the past, he had been
Terrence reacted as though he had just heard a joke. He turned to Winston, his eyes reflecting disbelief. The idea of giving Winston another chance made him chuckle lightly. Then, he averted his gaze.Meanwhile, Winston's spine tingled with unease at Terrence's smile. It was as if he had been dealt a crushing blow. Terrence sighed and asked, "Mr. Greer, imagine you have a precious daughter whom you've always adored and spoiled. You'd do anything to protect her and give her whatever she desires, even if it meant going to great lengths. But then one day…"He met Winston's eyes again before slowly adding, "One day, she falls head over heels for someone and becomes deeply invested in the relationship."In the end, the once pampered woman becomes a shadow of her former self, broken and battered. Would you give that person another chance to hurt her?"Winston frowned and reassured Terrence, "I won't hurt her again. I will protect her.""It's easy to make promises like that. But is it
Resigned, Terrence patted Julia's shoulder to calm her down. He knew that stressing herself out could harm her well-being."How is Millie today?" Terrence asked.Her face lit up as she replied, "She's been in great spirits. Ever since she divorced Winston, her mood has noticeably improved."At least Millie wasn't the same as before, filled with worry and constantly sighing."That's wonderful! By the way, is she going to the jewelry exhibition?"Julia nodded repeatedly. "Yes, she is." A wave of relief washed over Terrence upon hearing that. As a father, all he wanted was for his daughter to be happy. As for everyone else's feelings, whether they were happy or troubled, they were none of his concern.When Winston hurt Millie, he hadn't spared a thought for her feelings. So, of course, Terrence had no reason to consider his. …"The first Stringer-X Jewelry Exhibition will soon take place in Yerwick City. We hope everyone will come and support us."The next morning, as the TV b
At the Stringer Group's first jewelry exhibition, the event details were showcased on a cutting-edge digital screen in the lobby. The screen's brilliance exuded a high-end ambiance.Outside, a long red carpet had been rolled out, with staff ready to greet VIP guests like Millie. They would receive exclusive, one-on-one tours, a special highlight of the exhibition. As a black Pagani came to a stop, it immediately caught everyone's attention. Even the reporters inside, who had been watching the scene unfold, turned their heads."Hey, that's Mr. Greer's car!""What? Mr. Greer is also here?""Why are you so surprised? He and Mr. Stringer are good friends. It would be odd if he hadn't shown up."Everyone exchanged glances, realizing the truth of the statement.Winston stepped out of the car, dressed in a black turtleneck and a black suit—a look that was casual yet elegant.Eli followed him closely and passed the car keys to a nearby valet. The reporters swiftly turned their camer
The moment Winston and Jack stepped in, they were captivated by the peaceful yet luminous atmosphere. The setting was upscale, and the dazzling jewelry commanded attention."Nothing much," Winston replied, walking on. Jake pouted and commented, "You actually got down on your knees for her.""Oh, so you heard about that." As Winston continued to move forward, he spoke in a calm tone as if the matter didn't bother him at all."Man, when Millie was into you, you didn't give a damn about her and insisted on getting a divorce. But now that she's agreed to it and is moving on, you're the one running to the airport and begging for forgiveness on your knees. It's really messing with my head!"Winston slowly turned to glare at Jake. His incessant annoyance was really driving him up the wall. "Do you ever stop talking? Why are you always around?" Winston retorted with a frown, his tone laced with disdain. Jake simply laughed, shrugged nonchalantly, and continued to walk alongside him.
"Well, the Lowells are here. I can't believe they brought Joanna along!" Jake commented before taking a sip of his drink. At the same time, he watched with amusement as Joanna lingered in the background, too hesitant to approach Winston. In the past, she would have rushed over to him, wrapped her arm around his, and asked coquettishly, "Win, did you miss me?" But now, Joanna was too embarrassed to go near Winston.Jake raised his eyebrows and remarked, "If I'm not mistaken, she's been really unwell. The doctor said it's a severe case of depression."At that point, Winston turned his attention back to the exhibition.Jake couldn't help but pry. "You're really heartless, aren't you, Win? Don't you care about that pretentious bitch anymore?"Irritated, Winston snapped, "Shut up and just enjoy the exhibition.""What's there to enjoy? There's not a single piece that stands out," Jake replied.Winston agreed. The jewelry exhibition felt underwhelming, much like many others these da
"Is this… a painting by Quentin Scott?" Layla asked, a bit incredulous.The Caldwell family held quite a respectable reputation in Yerwick City. Coupled with Layla's status, she was certainly not lacking in esteem.She wanted to buy this painting and had been trying to purchase it for over a year, but she still wasn't able to get it.The moment Winston nodded, she once again sensed the disparity between the Caldwell family and the Greer family.Although they didn't disagree that Winston wronged Millie, the truth was that they did have a good sense in their choices."Grandma, this is a painting by Quentin Scott. I bought it directly from Quentin Scott's assistant myself. It's absolutely genuine." Winston nodded, his demeanor gentle and well-mannered.Layla had thought Winston might give her something she liked, but she never expected that he would actually give her the painting "Where Mountains Meet the Sea" by Quentin Scott!Layla couldn't help but stand up and approach Winston.
Winston had already decided to humble himself completely to make sure his wife remained happy."Go on in," Thomas finally said.Millie and Winston went inside, where Everly was crouching next to Arthur, working on the lights with him.Winston put down the gifts he brought and asked, "Can I help with anything?""Ah, Winston, you're here. Come on in and warm up a bit." Arthur smiled and didn't say anything more.Millie nodded, indicating that Winston should go in first.Thomas and Everly stayed outside working on the lights while Millie, Winston, and Arthur went inside the house.In the living room, Layla was eating chips and watching TV. When she saw that Winston had arrived, she remained expressionless.Millie glanced cautiously at her grandmother with a gentle expression."Grandpa, I brought some good coffee beans." Winston placed a gift box on the coffee table.Arthur chuckled and said, "You didn't need to bring any gifts. You already brought plenty last time."The last gi
Soon, it was New Year's Eve. Yerwick City didn't have a ban on fireworks, so the neighborhood had been lively since early in the day.Arthur wanted to hang some lights to bring more festive spirit into the house. However, when he looked at the high places where he needed to hang them, he felt like he just couldn't manage it.Just as Thomas and Everly arrived outside the door, he called out to them, "Hurry and hang up these lights.""Oh dear, be careful not to fall at this age." Thomas quickly took the string of lights from Arthur's hands.Arthur replied, "I was just waiting for you all!"Everly joked, "Grandpa, are you upset that we arrived late?""Hmph! You weren't early enough. Millie hasn't even shown up yet!"But as soon as he finished speaking, Millie walked in holding some things. "Grandpa, I heard you talking about me from far away, and I've sneezed several times because of it," she said with a slight smile, her voice bright and cheerful.The group turned their attention
At that moment, a cold snort came from the staircase.Arthur looked up. Wasn't that Layla standing there?Layla walked downstairs, her tone sounding incredulous as she said, "Is this guy really willing to go to such lengths to get what he wants? He even had the nerve to say something like that?""When pursuing someone you like, there's nothing you wouldn't do, no matter how embarrassing. Back when I was trying to win you over, didn't I wait for you outside your house every day?" The thought brought Arthur a sense of sorrow.The Cadmores were a medical family, and Arthur was a businessman. Even though he also made a fortune in the medical field, the Cadmore family wasn't willing for the two of them to be together. They just wanted Layla to marry someone who was also studying medicine.Believe it or not, back then, there really was another medical student as her suitor. The Cadmore family liked them, and outsiders also thought they were a good match.In the end, the persistent suit
The car was parked in front of the Caldwell residence. Eli took out the items and silently handed them to Winston. He wanted to see if Winston could help escort the two elderly people to the door."No need to accompany me any further. Let's leave it here," Layla insisted, maintaining her refusal.She always maintained a sense of propriety, even in how she addressed Winston.Winston found Layla harder to impress than Millie."Grandma, let me help you take it inside. It's not far. I'll just go in and come right out. I won't stay long," Winston said with a smile.Layla was about to speak. Arthur nudged her arm, suggesting she let it go, as she had been bothered enough already.Layla remained silent for a moment before nodding.Winston was given permission, and he immediately followed the two elderly people into the Caldwell residence with the items.Eli sighed and couldn't help but take a video of Winston, feeling really humbled.It was really hard to believe this was Winston.W
"The shop shutting down for rectifications is necessary. If she keeps up this attitude, there's no point in having the store here. You all should remove her from this place," Layla said, intending to rid Clara of a job.When Clara heard it, her face turned pale. However, she didn't dare to speak at the moment, fearing that the more she said, the more mistakes she might make.These people all seemed to be important figures!"Alright!" Bernard clapped his hands and agreed, "Professor Cadmore, we agree. If she doesn't give the proper compensation, we will definitely fire her!"Arthur supported Layla and gently patted her back, gesturing for her to calm down and not be upset anymore.Layla had finally started to calm down a bit. She had actually become much more mellow with her temper. In the past, whether in the lab or outside, she was always decisive and assertive.This was also why Arthur had been obedient all these years. He would always go along with her."Hurry up, apologize t
Bernard gave Clara a strong push. She fell to the ground, crying out in anger, "What's the meaning of this!"Bernard approached Winston with his hands tightly clasped and bowed respectfully as he exclaimed, "Mr. Greer!"Winston raised his hand, signaling for him to get up.Clara sat on the ground, feeling completely dumbfounded. Why was Bernard treating him with such respect? Who was this person? What was his background?Winston, with a cold expression, adjusted his sleeve and looked indifferently at Clara on the ground.Bernard said, "Mr. Greer, you should have told us you were coming! I would have had someone prepared to welcome you long ago. I'm really sorry for any inconvenience you experienced. Please accept my apologies!""What's wrong with her? Is she unwell?" Winston asked, pointing to Clara on the ground.Bernard quickly said, "She…""No matter what's up with her, disrespecting customers is a big mistake. I am demanding that her shop undergo rectifications before reope
Winston raised an eyebrow and stepped forward.Clara felt a sudden shudder in her heart and instinctively took a step back.Winston scoffed. What was she backing away for? Was she scared?She was simply someone who bullied the weak but was afraid of the strong. What capabilities did she even have by picking on elderly people?Winston's gaze was steady, and his expression became increasingly cold and harsh.The woman frowned and stayed silent.Winston, speaking calmly and without any agitation, said, "If you don't want to escalate the situation, apologize now. If you're unwilling, then we'll have to get the police to handle it."To begin with, he was never a patient person. The reason he was speaking so nicely was to make a good impression in front of Layla and Arthur.In the past, whenever he encountered such a situation, he wouldn't even pay it any attention and would simply have Eli take them to the police station.Whenever someone made a mistake, it was important to address
Layla said, "Even though it's soon New Year's and everyone is busy, try to be a bit more gentle! We're all elderly people here, so what's wrong with being patient?"Since you're in the service industry, you should maintain a proper attitude. If you can't even speak politely, then you shouldn't be in this line of work. I suggest you close up shop for good!"Winston squinted. That voice sounded very familiar. It seemed like Layla's voice.He quickly walked over and saw that Arthur was helping an elderly gentleman up while Layla was engaged in a debate with a young female shopkeeper."How I run my store is my business. If you want to buy something, go ahead. If not, just leave. I don't need you to tell me how to run my life!" The store owner glared at Layla while speaking with a very unfriendly tone, their voice sharp and cutting.Layla was exasperated and asked, "Don't you understand the saying that the customer is king?""What about the damn king? Just go away," the lady grumbled,