Layla raised her left hand and caressed Millie's head. "Mills, my love for you has not been in vain. You truly are my sweetheart.""Grandma, if Everly finds out, she'll be so jealous," Millie said with a smile.Just as she finished her sentence, Everly walked in. "What did you say? What do I have to be jealous of?"Millie looked at Everly as she removed her mask and cap. "Grandma mentioned that you're her sweetheart.""Tsk, you're the true sweetheart, not me," Everly retorted. She understood her place clearly. As the adopted child, she didn't feel the need to compare herself with the other Caldwells. She felt grateful to the Caldwell family for raising her, knowing that her success was due to their support. She aimed to behave well without being greedy."I like both of you. Evie, stop saying that I'm biased!" Layla glared at Everly as she spoke.Everly sat by Layla's bed and held her hand. "Alas, Grandma. Whether you love me or not, I'll still take care of you."Layla snorted.
Millie was stunned, holding the apple. She asked softly, "Do you know about Butterfly too?""How can anyone be unaware of Butterfly? Millie, you haven't heard of Butterfly, have you?" Everly gazed at Millie from head to toe, her eyes sparkling with an unmistakable mockery. She was astounded that Millie was unaware of Butterfly. Butterfly was such a famous designer. But then again, it made sense. Millie rarely purchased jewelry.Millie was at a loss for words. "Of course I know Butterfly. How could I not? She’s incredibly famous!"Everly sat down and said, "Oh dear, we're family. You don't have to pretend in front of me. If you're unaware, just admit it. Would you like me to share more about Butterfly?"Millie showed no interest and firmly replied, "No."She crossed her arms, her expression stern. "Millie, if you're familiar with Butterfly, you'd understand just how inferior Aurora Jewels truly is. "In the world of jewelry, only Butterfly's designs hold any value to me. If I co
Everly scoffed. "I'm not as sensible as you are."Millie dismissed it, saying casually, "Good that you know."Everly rolled her eyes, looking down on Millie with disdain. She had heard that Butterfly was a woman who gained fame at an early age. How wonderful it would be if that designer were her sister! If so, she wouldn't have to rely on her team to beg and borrow Butterfly's exquisite haute couture jewels."I don't know if Butterfly has a sister. How happy it would be to be her sister instead of suffering like me!" Everly complained again.Millie glanced at Everly, rendered speechless. "Go seek out Butterfly and ask her if she would like to be your sister. Find out if she wants that. Everly, you should appreciate how well I treat you."Everly smiled. "Millie, you certainly have a talent for flattering yourself. With a celebrity cousin like me, you should be the one appreciating me!""Do I really need a celebrity cousin like you? I already have my best friend, who just happens
When Millie heard Everly accuse her of pretending, she felt anxious. Everly had a knack for gossip. If she discovered Millie's identity as Butterfly, everyone would soon know as well.She had never disclosed to her family that she was Butterfly. Now, she needed to devise a plan to conceal the truth. Although she had anticipated that her identity might eventually be exposed, she never imagined it would happen this fast."Are you still arguing?" Everly asked, pointing at Millie.Naturally, Millie had to argue. She couldn't admit it right away because she wanted to stay under the radar. "No, Everly. I was just gossiping with Marvin. I wasn't—"Everly cut in sharply. "You clearly care about Butterfly's design, but you're pretending otherwise!"Millie was stunned.Everly sarcastically remarked, "You pretend to look down on Butterfly's work and claim Aurora Jewels is better. But deep down, you really like Butterfly's work and secretly asked about it. Am I right?"Millie was at a loss
Everly sensed something was off with Millie as she didn't want to share the chat history. She examined Millie closely.Butterfly never showed up at all the entire time. Some claimed Butterfly was a young woman. Last night, a hacker even attempted to locate Butterfly's address. It was rumored to be in Yerwick, though that was uncertain. Everly scrutinized Millie and asked, "Are you…""What?" Millie remained calm.Everly joked, "Are you Butterfly?""Yes, I'm Butterfly," Millie replied directly.Everly was stunned. If Millie had kept it a secret, Everly might have doubted it. But since Millie admitted it so confidently, Everly believed it must be fake. Anyway, she didn't expect Millie to be Butterfly."Mills, I don't want you to think I'm looking down on you. Honestly, it's great that you're not a hopeless romantic. But rather than picturing yourself as Butterfly, you might as well say that Grandma is Butterfly instead. Isn't that right, Grandma?" Everly shifted the conversation t
Millie strongly disliked persistent buyers. She had already stated she didn't want to sell. She hung up the phone, making her message clear to Marvin.Soon after, Millie returned to the research lab, where the security guard at the entrance stopped her. "Ms. Caldwell.""What is it?" Millie asked as she approached.The security guard handed Millie a bouquet. "A gentleman sent you these, Ms. Cadlwell."She was speechless. The bouquet was filled with pink roses. Winter had set in, bringing a chill that lingered in the air, and the snow remained untouched on the ground. The pink roses seemed to shiver in the cold, yet their beauty shone through. Millie could smell their fragrance from a distance. If he weren't the one who sent the bouquet, she would have taken it and displayed it in a vase."These flowers are absolutely stunning," the security guard couldn't help but remark.Millie accepted the flower, expressed her gratitude, and then discarded it in the trash can. Shortly after,
Millie could sense Sean's sincerity and seriousness from his text, even though he was not by her side. He mentioned sending pink roses for the first snowfall of winter, hoping to make her happy. This thoughtful gesture truly moved her.Sean was truly remarkable. Yet, she met him at the wrong time. Upon reflection, she realized that each of the men she met was superior to Winston. She couldn't understand what drew her to Winston at the time or why she was so determined to marry him.Millie: "Sean, I truly appreciate the flowers. Let me take you out for a meal soon."Sean: "Why not tonight? I'll be available after I finish my work this afternoon."Millie chuckled, impressed by Sean's decisiveness. He truly was a man of action, ready to seize any chances without a moment's pause. He never let an opportunity slip by.Millie: "Sure."She had discarded Sean's flowers, which felt like rejecting his sincerity. Guilt washed over her, prompting the desire to treat him to a meal as a gest
Sean was confused by Millie's sudden apology after he simply mentioned the flowers. At that moment, he worried about saying anything further.Millie was embarrassed. "Sean, I thought Winston sent the flowers, so I only glanced at them, and…"She rubbed her palms and touched her nose, feeling overwhelmed by embarrassment.Sean waited for Millie to explain. "And? Did you misunderstand that Winston sent it?"Millie looked at Sean seriously and confessed, "And I threw it away."Sean was silent, thinking of something worse like Millie thanking Winston. However, he never anticipated that it would be discarded. This turn of events caught him off guard as well."Did you really throw away the bouquet just because Winston sent it to you?" Sean asked Millie hesitantly, worried that he might have upset her, leading to her discarding the flowers he had given her.Millie nodded seriously. Indeed, she discarded it because it was a gift from Winston.Sean paused for two seconds before asking,
Millie glanced at Winston with initial shock and disbelief in her eyes. Then a hint of amusement appeared, and soon she couldn't hold it in and broke into laughter."Haha!" Millie raised her hand and placed the back of it on Winston's forehead.He didn't have a fever, right? Why else would he go along with such an absurd request?"Winston, where's your self-respect?" Millie tapped Winston's head.Winston furrowed his brow, wondering what exactly self-respect was supposed to be. Was it something edible, or could he use it to pursue Millie?She wanted to hear him, so he just played along for her. After all, women only needed a little bit of coaxing."I have none. It's all gone. Maybe the dog ate it." Winston spread his hands with a helpless expression on his face.Millie laughed and said, "You're being silly. Go help Grandpa put up the Spring Festival couplets!"Winston nodded. "Alright, let's get to work."Millie watched Winston as he bustled about, and a wave of emotions began
Winston nodded with a smile and said, "Grandma, I understand."Millie smiled warmly, unable to hold back her laughter. Layla was just so endearing."Alright, the lights are all set up. What's on the menu today, and who's cooking?" Thomas walked in casually.Everly took off her coat and saw that there was a painting in front of Layla."Oh, could this be something that Mr. Greer brought?" she asked. "This painting looks really expensive.""Mr. Greer, do I get a gift?" Everly couldn't help teasing Winston.Winston knew that this was yet another person coming to give him a challenge."Sorry. I didn't know you and Uncle Thomas were here, so I didn't prepare anything. If there's something you like, I can buy it for you," he offered."How hilarious! Do you think I can't afford it? Do I need you to buy it?" Everly scoffed.Winston smiled and said, "Yes, you can afford it, but there's always a difference between something gifted to you and something you buy for yourself.""Mr. Greer i
"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