A woman dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans walked out of the railway station with a suitcase in her hand at Ashvale City.She had a delicate appearance, and her wavy hair flowed in the wind. Beneath her elegant eyebrows were a pair of bright eyes, a well-defined nose, and cherry lips. She wasn't wearing makeup. Still, her face exuded a kind of natural beauty that demanded attention upon first sight."Hello, you must be Ms. Stanton. I'm the driver sent by the Hughes family."Celia Stanton nodded and followed the driver into the car. The journey had exhausted her. The car drove away from the railway station. The driver couldn't help but glance at Celia through the rearview mirror. At present, her eyes were shut. "So, this is Mr. Hughes' fiancée, huh?" he mused.Yardley Hughes was already the CEO of Hughes Inc. at the age of 21. He was well-known for his decisive and shrewd business tactics. He was a formidable figure in the business world whom everyone feared. Years ago, Yardle
Celia didn't realize the room she was in belonged to someone else. She thought that the Hughes family had purposefully kept the bathroom stocked with men's products to throw her off. "What a strange place," she thought. "And to think I'll have to stay here for three months!"Celia had made a bet with her grandfather; she would stay at the Hughes residence for three months, but if she still hadn't fallen in love with Yardley by the end of that, their engagement would be called off.Celia took a shower, had dinner served by the housekeeper, and fell into a deep sleep. It had been a long day after all.Eventually, Yardley got home from a business gathering in the wee hours of the night. He knew that Celia would arrive at the Hughes residence that day. Otto initially asked him to pick her up, but he declined, citing work as an excuse. He had no interest in his fiancée. In fact, he expected their engagement to be called off sooner or later.Yardley took a shower and went to bed after
Celia smiled as she walked away. Quinn went crazy. "Listen up, country bumpkin! I'll never allow you to marry Yardley!" Yardley came out of his room as soon as she said that.The latter immediately backed down when she saw him. "Yardley."Yardley's face was as black as coal. Quinn didn't dare to stir trouble anymore. It was clear that Yardley was enraged.…Celia asked the housekeeper to lead her to her room. She organized her belongings before going downstairs to eat breakfast. Lillian, Quinn, and Yardley had already taken their seats at the dining table. "Why did you wake up so late? You didn't even come downstairs to make breakfast. Do you think you're the lady of the house?" Lillian asked sarcastically.Celia glanced at her and replied with a shrug. "Well, I'm not a housekeeper of the Hughes family either." "I'd rather die than prepare breakfast for someone like you!" she cursed in her heart.Yardley didn't say a word throughout their exchange. Still, it was evi
"Look! Who is that woman behind Mr. Hughes? She's so beautiful!" "Wow, her legs are so toned and straight! I'm jealous!""That can't be Mr. Hughes' fiancée, right?""How's that possible? It can't be."Everyone gossiped about Celia's identity. They thought she was a business partner at first. Then, she and Yardley separated to report to the Secretarial Department. The news spread like wildfire throughout the entire company. The beautiful woman who had just arrived at work with Yardley was his rumored fiancée. Everyone was shocked. They had no idea a country bumpkin could be so beautiful.Celia went to the Human Resources Department to go through the formalities. Meanwhile, the four employees of the Secretarial Department were having an animated discussion. "Celia Stanton is so beautiful! She's even more beautiful than Willow Xanders."Sabrina Xanthos, the head of the Secretarial Department, looked down with disdain in her eyes. "What's so good about being beautiful? Can a c
Norman and Celia walked into Hughes Inc., and the filming went off without a hitch.He didn't like the clothes, but he stopped complaining when she said he looked good. He continued to nitpick, but one look from her silenced him. Norman was just that timid; after all, he was afraid Celia would beat him to a pulp. Norman's cooperation allowed the estimated five-hour shoot to be completed in only two hours. After that, he immediately approached Celia. "Celia, Celia, come on, I'll treat you to lunch!" he begged."No thanks, I haven't gotten off work yet!" Celia declined his offer coldly.There were some other employees nearby, and there was a lot of discussion and speculation going on at the time. "Woah! Mr. Lorimer got turned down when he invited Celia out for lunch!""Oh my goodness! Who is this Celia? How does she manage to be not only attractive but also this badass despite being from the countryside?""If Mr. Lorimer invited me, I'd have ditched work just to share a meal wit
Celia looked at Yardley, confused."I must remind you that we're still engaged. Besides, Norman's a celebrity; I hope there won't be any scandals involving you two, or it'll harm the Hughes family's reputation."Celia realized that Yardley had misunderstood her after she heard that. "Wait a minute … he thinks I like Norman? How did this guy even jump to such a conclusion?" she wondered."Also, it won't be easy for the Lorimer family to accept you, especially since you're two years older than Norman.""Enough." She thought he was getting a little carried away with his false accusations."Who I like is none of your business, so stay out of it," she told him stoically.Yardley's expression hardened. Both of them sat in silence for the rest of the drive. He interpreted Celia's lack of denial as an implicit agreement. On the other hand, his words annoyed her.Yardley was unable to sleep that night, as usual. He had suffered from chronic insomnia since he was kidnapped and impri
Celia regretted attending the banquet out of boredom when she heard Lillian's sarcastic remarks. She should leave, then.Alas, Willow and her friends approached them before Celia could say anything. She looked at Celia as if she hadn't just met her in the restroom. Willow smiled. "Madam Lillian, good to see you! And you must be Yardley's fiancée, Celia Stanton, right? Hello, Ms. Stanton. My name is Willow Xanders."At that moment, Willow appeared to be an elegant and graceful noble lady. On the other hand, Celia's complete disregard for her made her appear impolite.Lillian gave Celia a snide look before smiling at Willow. "Willow, don't mind her. She's from the countryside and has no manners.""It's alright, Madam Lillian. By the way, I've heard that Ms. Stanton is very talented. There's a piano on the stage. Why don't we have a little friendly competition?"Celia glanced at Willow when she heard that."Everyone knows I'm a country bumpkin, so how did she hear about my excepti
The three of them exchanged pleasantries. It was widely known that Barnaby and Otto were close friends. Also, their families once dominated the business world. Alas, Barnaby sold his company and retired from the business world many years ago. There had been little news about him since. It was said that he traveled around the world with his granddaughter. Still, the Stanton family's influence remained widespread across the country.Sinclair presented the gifts Barnaby had prepared for the Hughes family. They included a world-renowned painting, a plot of land in the city worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and other equally valuable items. The Stanton family went above and beyond when it came to gift-giving.It pained Celia to watch these extravagant gifts end up in the hands of the Hughes family … At least Sinclair didn't blow her cover. It would no longer be fun if her cover were blown. "Lillian is such a snob. She might not let me leave after three months. Also, Yardley
In fact, Yardley didn't tell anyone. … Meanwhile, Morgan stumbled upon a surprising find. She discovered two healthy, month-old babies at the orphanage. "Director, is it true that no one wants such young babies?" Morgan felt a bit emotional. How could people be so heartless as to abandon their own babies? The director of the orphanage let out a deep sigh. "You don't know the whole story. Our janitor found these babies at the orphanage's entrance. Someone left them there and disappeared. "We've been taking care of them for about half a month now, and their condition has improved significantly." Looking at the adorable babies, Morgan couldn't shake the feeling that they belonged to Celia. "I'm here on behalf of Yardley Hughes else to adopt these children, but..." Morgan expressed her concerns. Morgan anticipated the orphanage director's refusal. To her surprise, he actually agreed. "The opportunity for these two babies to have some good days is preferable to nothing.
"Let's go, Celia. We shouldn't disturb the twins' rest," said Yardley as he supported Celia and got ready to leave. Celia waved her hand and stood in front of the incubator. Even with the glass barrier, she could still discern the condition of her children. She reached out to touch them, as if her touch could make them feel her presence. She resolved to take her children home safely. Celia lingered for a while before finally leaving the hospital. Once they were home, Celia locked herself in her room, disregarding any attempts anyone made to talk to her. Yardley headed to the company to attend to some matters, while the housekeepers remained at home. Meanwhile, Morgan couldn't shake her concern for Celia, so she came to visit her. Upon entering, she heard the housekeepers upstairs calling out, "Mrs. Hughes, are you feeling better? Come out and have some soup!" However, there was no response from inside. "What's going on?" Morgan asked. The housekeepers promptly briefed
Sophie had failed to get Celia's forgiveness. So, she had no choice but to pin all her hopes on Morgan.She took all the supplements to Morgan's apartment. Richard was staying there with her.Ever since the incident with Celia, Sophie's relationship with Richard had become very strained. They barely talked to one another.Sophie knocked on the door for a long time, but no one came out.She could only wait outside. After two hours, she finally saw Morgan and Richard. They came into view, laughing and holding each other's hands.This scene pained Sophie deeply."What are you doing here?" Morgan's cheerful expression faltered the moment she saw Sophie.Sophie could only put on a smile and say, "I brought all these for you. I was wrong to come between your relationship with my son."Richard glanced at the items on the ground. He could tell from a glance that they were meant for postpartum care and immediately understood why Sophie was there."Mom, you should be honest. You got the
Otto didn't back down and insisted on his right to see his grandchildren. However, Yardley paid him no mind. He shook his head and said, "Celia needs rest. Please come back another day."The next second, he instructed the housekeepers to close the door and left Otto standing outside. Otto stomped his walking cane on the ground in frustration but had no choice but to leave.As Yardley made his way back inside the villa, he thought of another troubling matter.Although they had brought their children home, the twins had been weak because they had been born prematurely. They had appointed a family doctor to treat the twins but hadn't seen much improvement in their health. Yardley sanitized himself before he went into the nursery. He felt pained when he heard the twins' weak breaths."Mr. Hughes." The family doctor spoke up with a frown, indicating that the situation was far from ideal."The baby girl has been slowly recovering, but the boy remains very weak. I don't think the n
"Don't worry. She's fine. She's just a bit weak at the moment."Remembering Yardley's words outside the ward, the doctor felt a wave of nervousness. He could tell that Yardley and Celia weren't ordinary people judging by their attire. They were certainly not ones to be trifled with."Did you say that we had twins?" Yardley turned to ask the nurse after learning that Celia was alright."Yes, sir." The nurse chuckled inwardly. She found that, despite Yardley's intimidating appearance, he was a very devoted husband.Soon, Celia was moved out of the operating room and into a VIP ward.Yardley gently wiped the sweat from Celia's face again. He took in her pale complexion; it was a sign of how much she had suffered."How's Celia?"Sounds of hurried footsteps came from outside. Ashley and the others had come over. Yardley turned and signaled them to leave.Celia had just given birth, so she needed a quiet environment to rest. Having too many visitors might affect her recovery.Ever
"How could you hit me because of her? I'm the mother of your child!" Sophie shrieked.She had never suffered such humiliation. She had been showered with love from a young age and wasn't accustomed to such harsh treatment. So, she became agitated and emotional."Isn't it all because of you that things turned out this way? Would such a thing have happened to our company? Would Richard suddenly want to break all ties with us? It's all because of your reckless behavior!" Chester vented years of suppressed grievances and dissatisfaction as if it would make him feel better.Celia watched as Chester and Sophie argued fiercely. She stepped forward to stop them, especially since there were many people outside watching the spectacle."Stop fighting. This isn't the time or the place for arguments!"Sophie went at Chester and started hitting him. Celia tried to break up their fight, but Sophie pushed her. Celia took a few steps back at that. She didn't attempt to intervene anymore."It's
"Mrs. Black, we'd intended to negotiate amicably with you and achieve a satisfactory outcome for both parties. "The decision to move out was mine, and I asked Celia to come over and help me out. If you're unwilling to be decent and compromise, then let's end things between our families here."Morgan felt relieved after expressing her thoughts. It was like a significant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "What do you mean?" Richard panicked. Just when their relationship had slightly improved, the situation took a turn for the worse again."We're breaking up for good!"Morgan left after saying that. Jessica and Darby left with her, leaving the Blacks behind."This is all your doing! Look what you've done! How many times have I told you not to be so assertive and bossy? Why don't you ever consider my feelings?" Richard punched the couch angrily, his heart filled with bitterness.Sophie hadn't wanted things to turn out this way either, but she had been too angry and spoke
"It's fine. You two can go if you have something else to attend to," Jessica said.Soon, Celia arrived at the Blacks' residence with Jessica and Darby.Sophie opened the door and was surprised to see Celia standing at the doorstep with Jessica and Darby. She couldn't understand what Celia was up to.Once they were inside, Celia didn't beat around the bush and stated her purpose directly. "I think you might be having some misunderstandings about Morgan."Sophie smiled without saying anything."Don't you think you're interfering too much in Morgan's personal life?" Celia questioned.Upon hearing this, Sophie realized why they were there. Having discussed the issue with Chester, Sophie had finally agreed not to interfere in Richard's and Morgan's lives.So, she didn't object to Celia's words. She even agreed with Celia, much to the latter's surprise.Under normal circumstances, Sophie would have argued with her. Why was she being so agreeable this time?"How about you sign a writ
After saying that, Celia hung up.On the other end, Quinn felt very displeased. After all, it was her party, and she had personally called Celia to invite her. Quinn felt that Celia had snubbed her by refusing to attend.Quinn thought about it for a moment. If Celia didn't come, Yardley probably wouldn't either. If both of them didn't show up, it would be embarrassing for Quinn.So, she decided to go and find Celia.…Morgan was taking refuge at Celia's place, so she answered the door when Quinn came over."I'm here to see Celia."Celia had instructed Morgan to turn away anyone she didn't recognize, no matter who it was. Hence, Morgan said, "Celia isn't seeing anyone today. Please come back another time."To Morgan's surprise, her words ignited the anger that Quinn had been suppressing in her heart. The two quickly started arguing.Celia listened to their argument from her room. She regretted asking Morgan to handle Quinn. She had expected that Quinn would come looking for her