"Because you didn't try hard enough," Mrs. Shelby grabbed Ivy by her chin, stared into her eyes furiously, and seethed, "all you do is apologize and claim that you've given your best, but have you really? I've gone through hoops and secured an opportunity for you to have Joe's child, I forced him to go visit your parent's graveyard with you, and even got the musical show tickets for you. And what did you do? You handed over those opportunities on a silver plate and gave it to Meredith Leighton."Shaking her head, Ivy explained, "No! I didn't do it on purpose, Mrs. Shelby. Joe…he…""Don't you dare to put all the blame on Joe!" Mrs. Shelby put her off again and went on, "If I were you, I'd have found a chance and gotten rid of Meredith. By then, Joe would have no choice but to marry you, wouldn't it?"Ivy was stunned.She did not expect to hear those words from Mrs. Shelby."Mrs. Shelby, you…what do you mean by that?" Ivy stammered in fear.Mrs. Shelby pulled at the corners of her
The kids were already soundly asleep and Ivy was adjusting the room temperature."Are Cooper and Nia already asleep?" Meredith took a glance at both of the kids who were sleeping next to each other.Ivy had her eyes fixed on Meredith.She was reminded of Mrs. Shelby's words earlier - about how Josiah would have no choice but to marry her if she had gotten rid of Meredith.Mrs. Shelby was right. Perhaps if Meredith was gone, Josiah would have found it easier to accept her. After all, she was Cooper's mother.But how would Meredith be gone just like that?Unless she were to do what Mrs. Shelby had suggested…"Miss Ivy, aren't you going to get some rest?" Meredith raised her voice a little as Ivy seemed to have not heard her earlier.Ivy finally came back to her senses. She asked, "Sorry, what were you saying, Meredith?"Meredith replied, "I was saying…I would like to have a word with you. Can we talk in your room?"Ivy hesitated a while before nodding. "Sure."She then turned
But Ivy simply handed the tablet back to Meredith and replied flatly, "It's fine. I was just doing someone a favor anyway. I've tried my best."Mrs. Shelby had already made herself clear that as long as Ivy was not married to Josiah, the little girl would not be admitted into any hospital.Hence, there would be no chance of finding the child in any hospital.At Ivy's response, Meredith immediately furrowed her brows.Meredith was surprised that Ivy actually said that it was fine.Had she not been searching for the child for the entire day? And she was absentminded the whole day.How was it that Ivy was suddenly indifferent and nonchalant about the matter?Could it be that Meredith had really over thought matters and as Ivy claimed, she was simply doing someone a favor?Meredith glanced at the tablet and asked, unsurely, "Miss Ivy, are you sure you don't want this?""The price is too much for me to pay. Hence, it's fine," Ivy replied calmly then said to Meredith, "Miss Meredith
"That's a separate matter." Meredith dragged him off the couch and said, "Besides, you wouldn't want me to be hated by your grandpa and your mother, yes?"Josiah did not expect his grandfather to take Ivy's side because of Cooper.He agreed that he should not make Meredith the enemy of the elders.But there was nothing wrong with him having a little chat with Meredith in her room. It was not like he was going to spend a night with her.Sitting Meredith down next to him, he asked, "You went to see Ivy, right? How did it go? Did you find out about anything? Aren't you going to tell me about it?"Meredith frowned and replied rather disappointedly, "Miss Ivy is keeping her mouth tightly shut. She's not saying a word."She had come up with such a good excuse to make Ivy spill her truth, but her plan failed miserably.Josiah pointed at the tablet in Meredith's hands. "What about that? She did not waver at all?""Yeah. She was clearly looking for the child urgently. I even told her th
"You…have a death wish, don't you?" Meredith suddenly held up her hand, showing her fingers to Josiah. "Do you see this?"Josiah narrowed his eyes and finally noticed the needle held between her fingers."A needle?""Bingo. I haven't been using this for a long time, I might slip and make a mistake. Do you want to have a try?" Meredith flashed a smile at Josiah.Glancing at the needle in her hand, he asked, curious, "What would happen then?""I remember you've tried it once, haven't you?""Yeah. And I think I passed out. But I had a good sleep.""Well, let's hope you can sleep well this time. Who knows, if you're unlucky, you'll never be able to wake up," Meredith smiled, "so would you like to try?"Josiah wanted to snatch the needle away but Meredith managed to avoid him."Miss Meredith, why do you have such a thing on you?" Josiah asked gloomily, "Don't tell me you always keep it with you so that you could protect yourself from me.""If I've always had them with me, would I
"Um…I am just simply curious. Because I don't think I heard the news about you and your husband getting back together."Another lady quickly gave a light nudge on Mrs. Zeya's arm and it was then Mrs. Zeya stopped talking.Looking at Mrs. Zeya, Mrs. Shelby scoffed, "Even though my husband and I are divorced, my son is still part of this family. Is there a problem that I've returned?"Mrs. Zeya finally realized that she had misspoken. She shook her hands and quickly explained, "No, not at all. That's not what I meant, Mrs. Shelby. I was simply…curious."She then hurriedly got up onto her feet and said, "Mrs. Shelby, please enjoy the rest of your evening. I'll be taking my leave now."Mrs. Zeya then left without even turning back.Meredith, who was on the second floor, witnessed what had happened and exclaimed, "Mrs. Shelby is something else, isn't she? Just one glare and she managed to make someone run away."Josiah pulled into a smile. "You could too, you know?""How could I?"
Meredith got all excited at the mention of Liam.Clearing her throat, Meredith explained herself, "I told you right? That I wanted to observe Ivy's interaction with Liam."Yesterday when Meredith purposely brought up the mention of Liam, she could sense that Ivy was rather uncomfortable. Hence, she was suspecting that something happened between Ivy and Liam.Shrugging his shoulders, Josiah said, "Fine, do whatever you like."Meredith then went to check on Cooper and Nia in their rooms.She did not see them around but instead, found Ivy flipping through children's books in front of the bookshelves.At the sight of Meredith, she closed the book in her hands and said, "Nia went to the garden to pick some flowers.""Oh, what for?""To make flower cookies."Meredith nodded and asked on purpose, "Is it for the Sheldons?""The Sheldons?" Ivy seemed surprised."Oh? Didn't you hear about it? Liam and his parents will be joining us for dinner. The kitchen has already started making pr
A young woman stepped foot inside the house and put her arms into Liam's.The woman was young and really pretty. She looked gentle and soft-spoken. But most importantly, she and Liam looked perfect for each other.Looking at Yanne, Meredith could not help but be reminded of Ivy.Liam already had a fiancée and even if there was something going on between Ivy and him, there was no chance for Ivy anymore."Nice to meet all of you. I'm Yanne Young," Yanne introduced herself."See, this is the surprise that I have in store for all of you." Liam's mother seemed to be really proud of her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Pride was written all over her face as she went on, "Yanne studied abroad and had just returned to the country to help with her dad's business. She's getting ready to take over her family's business.""Really? That's really amazing, Miss Yanne!" Meredith then said to Liam, "Congratulations, Liam! I'm happy that you got yourself such a wonderful girlfriend.""Thank you." Liam
Back in the bedroom on the second floor, Liam pulled Ivy into the bathroom to take a bath together.Ivy allowed him to take off her clothes and pulled her to stand under the water.Liam helped her take a bath and asked, "How is it? Is everything okay?""It's not bad." Ivy said, "I didn't expect your parents to welcome me so warmly."Liam looked at her proudly, with the water still flowing down from his head. "Of course! You should thank the guy that has good taste. How can they dislike a girl of my choosing?"Ivy smiled and said, "Okay, previously...""Don't mention the previous things, let them pass." Liam interrupted her.Ivy was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, it's all over.""Yes. From now on, there is only happiness." Liam lowered his head and whispered in her ear, and kissed her lips……Meredith and Josiah listened in shock to Liam and Ivy's story, while watching the three children chasing and making trouble outside the floor-to-ceiling window.They were all
Ivy raised her hand and touched the top of Siena's hair. "God treated me well, and gave me back my daughter, and also gave me the child's father.""No, you're wrong." Liam smiled and said, "God treated me well and sent the child and the child's mother back to my arms.""Oh, spare me." Madam Sheldon shook her head unbearably.Madam Sheldon finally believed that Siena was her own granddaughter.She excitedly hugged Siena into her arms, and she burst into tears with joy. "Great, our Sheldon family finally has a granddaughter! Great!""Grandma, you like Siena, right?" Siena asked sweetly."Nonsense! Of course, Grandma likes Siena. Grandma has always dreamed about a little grandson or a little granddaughter." Madam Sheldon choked as she said.Liam and Ivy looked at each other and smiled.After hugging Siena excitedly for a while, Madam Sheldon released her, and looked at her again. "Now that you mentioned it, she looks a lot like Liam. Look at her nose, her ears...right? Am I righ
"You even helped me get dressed before you left!" Liam pinched her chin. "Ivy, aren't you embarrassed saying these things?""You asked me.""...""If I didn't help you get dressed, you might be so stupid that you don't even know that you slept with someone, right?""Ivy!" Liam gritted his teeth. "You stole my seed, and you dare to laugh at me for being stupid?""Isn't it stupid?" Ivy was not afraid of him. She raised an eyebrow at him deliberately. "Liam, think about it. Were you being stupid that night?"Liam was silent.Yes, he was really stupid.He was so stupid that he was too embarrassed to admit it. He did not even have the face to mention it in front of Josiah.Looking at the woman in front of him, he wanted to laugh and be mad at the same time.He did not want to say anything. He just wanted to use actions to prove how angry he was, how excited, happy, and...Countless emotions were intertwined in his body, causing him to bow his head and kiss her lips fiercely.Ivy
"Okay, I'm sorry." Ivy got up and walked around in front of him, sitting on his lap and hugging his neck with a smile. "Do I need to make up for you as well? Say sorry to you?""Yes, of course.""I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept it from you for so long. I shouldn't have kept the news about Siena's from you until now, okay?""Do you think I'll let you off with just that?" Liam was not satisfied."Then what do you want?""The rest will be paid in the evening.""Okay, double compensation," Ivy responded generously.Hearing her say that, Liam was extremely satisfied.He did not mind his daughter's presence at all. He instructed her, "Siena, turn around, I'm going to kiss Mommy.""Why can't I see you kiss Mommy?" Siena was puzzled."Because your Mommy will be shy.""Oh, okay then." Siena turned around wisely."I'm not shy, it's you who is shy." Ivy held Liam's handsome face and kissed him on the lips.Liam was moved for a second, and when he tried to dee
The adoptive parents expressed their understanding. They waved their hands and said, "It's alright. If it were me, I'd be crying happy tears too.""Anyway, thank you very much," Liam said."Mister Liam, you don't have to be so polite. Otherwise, we will be even more embarrassed," the adoptive father said.The adoptive mother held Siena, who seemed a little lost. She pulled Siena in front of Ivy and said softly, "Siena, I'm sorry, Mommy never told you that Ivy is your biological mommy."Siena looked at her in shock. "Really? Is Mommy Ivy my biological mother? Did she give birth to me?""Yes. Mommy wouldn't just pass you to a random stranger, right?" The adoptive mother smiled and said, "Siena, you will be able to spend time with your biological mommy in the future. Isn't that great?"Siena nodded, then stretched out her palm and gently stroked Ivy's face. "Mommy, why are you crying? Don't you want to be my biological mommy?""Siena!" Ivy suddenly pulled Siena into her embrace."
Siena's adoptive parents expressed that they understood. They waved their hands and said, "It's fine. If it were me, we would cry happy tears too." "Anyway, thank you very much," Liam said."Mister Liam, don't say such a thing. If not, we will be even more embarrassed," Siena's adoptive father said.Siena's adoptive mother pulled Siena, who did not know much about what was happening, over to Ivy's side and gently said, "Siena, I'm sorry. I have never told you that Ivy is your real Mommy."Siena looked at her in shock. "Are you serious? Mommy Ivy is my real Mommy? The one that gave birth to me?""Yes, if not, how could I simply give you to any other person?" Siena's adoptive mother said with a smile, "In the future, you will be living with your real Mommy. Are you happy?"Siena nodded before reaching her hand out and touching Ivy's face. "Mommy, why are you crying? Don't you want to be my real Mommy?""Siena!" Ivy suddenly hugged her."Darling, I have been looking for you for s
Siena's adoptive parents looked at each other and smiled.The kitchen was calling them to take their seats.Liam got up and said, "Come, let's eat and talk."Then, he said to Siena, "Siena, go get Daddy and Mommy to eat. They must be hungry."Siena happily brought her adoptive parents to take their seats. The dinner was in the garden. They ate and talked at the same time. The entire process was pleasant.Toward the end, Siena's adoptive mover suddenly got up and walked over to Ivy. She looked at her deeply and said after a while, "Ivy, there is a secret I have been hiding from you for a very long time.""What is it?" Ivy saw how serious she was. She could not help but feel the severity of it."Siena…" Siena's adoptive mother paused for a while before saying, "Siena is the baby that you have been looking for all these years."Ivy was stunned. Liam was stunned too.Ivy was feeling uneasy. Blood was rushing to her head. Shock, delight, surprise, excitement, all of the emotions ga
Ivy heard what Liam said and looked out at the door.When she saw that it was Siena's adoptive parents, she was instantly stunned."They are the guests that you mentioned?""Yes." Liam stood next to her and smiled. He said, "They said they hoped that they could see Siena one more time.""Is that so? That's great." Ivy held Siena's hand and walked out.Outside the door, Siena's adoptive parents were extremely friendly. "Hello! Ivy! Haven't seen you in a while!""Hello." Ivy welcomed them. "Welcome."They looked at Siena behind Ivy. "Hello, Siena. It's been a while."Siena was so anxious she was almost in tears. She said with reddened eyes, "I don't want to go back! I don't want to!"Seeing how Siena was against them, they looked awkward. From there, one could infer how irresponsible they were of their adopted daughter previously.Ivy ruffled Siena's head and said softly in her ears, "Siena, don't be afraid. Your adoptive parents are here to send you off because you're about to
Ivy cleared her throat. She ruffled Siena's head. "Don't listen to your Daddy. How could I be tired? Furthermore, taking care of you is the happiest and proudest thing I have ever done.""Really? Mommy, you really like me that much?""I do."Siena laughed happily."Let's go. We'll head home." Ivy held Siena's hand and they walked under the sycamore tree."Mommy, has Daddy gone back?""Not yet," Ivy said, "Daddy said he wants to give us a surprise.""Oh, that's great. I don't want Daddy to leave us.""Why? Do you like Daddy?""I do." Siena nodded. "Also, with Daddy here, you will be much happier. I like to see you being happy."Ivy saw Siena's face under the sun. She could not help but be moved. Siena was too understanding and caring.She suddenly thought of her own daughter. If she was still around, she would be Siena's age. She wondered whether she was as caring as Siena.At that thought, the smile on her face faded a little."Mommy, look! There are two birds!" Siena sudd