"Matthew, I know someone like Flora will never catch your eye. I completely trust you, but I can't trust others. Besides... people talk like that..." Matthew furrowed his brow, lost in thought. The person in front of him was his fiancée, who, if nothing changed, would become the mother of his children. That is... if nothing changed. "If you're afraid of what others might say, then quit. Last time you said you wanted to have a baby, right? I think it's time." A long-awaited dream had finally come true. Selena beamed with joy and hugged the man in front of her tightly. Outside, Flora quietly left. Those two people were soon to be married and would have this day sooner or later. But for some reason, when she heard Matthew mention having a baby with Selena, a sharp pain pierced through Flora's chest. She buried herself in the pile of messy work and only looked up when it was almost time for lunch. Suddenly remembering the task that Matthew had assigned her this morning, she quickl
"Director Selena, please retract your statement." Selena snorted: "Did I say something wrong? Your bastard children, even you don't know who their father is yet..." "You will be a mother someday and have your children. Then you will know that no mother loves her children and uses them as tools. If there is nothing else, I request to leave. As for the transfer, rest assured, I promised you I won't go back on my word." Selena's face was not pleasant. She watched the back of her secretary and stamped her foot in anger. She glanced briefly at the closed door of the CEO's office. Timing-wise, Patrick had already arrived. Have they met yet? Flora was eagerly anticipating how the head of H&H Group would take revenge on the woman who betrayed him. In the CEO's office, Patrick leaned against the desk, grinning: "Don't tell me the girl just now was your new secretary? Ugly, so ugly." But with a glance, he still felt that Matthew's secretary was familiar as if he had met her somewhere befo
The noodles were heavily seasoned, but he could only taste a long-lost family's sweet and warm flavor, melting his heart. Matthew bowed his head and finished the bowl of noodles without saying another word. Flora sat beside him, also bowing her head, her fingers twisting together. Besides feeling embarrassed, she had a strange feeling creeping up on her for some reason. She was about to tell him not to eat if it was too salty, but seeing him eat so attentively, she couldn't speak. She could only sigh and wait for him to finish before taking the bowl to the sink to wash it. "Let me do it myself." She had already cooked for him and couldn't let him wash the dishes too. "Stop it, a young master, like you probably have never done housework. I'm afraid you'll break my dishes." Flora politely declined his offer. The man she hated didn't get angry. He just leaned back and lightly brushed his lips against her plump lips. His sudden action left her stunned, and her hand slipped, causing
As soon as he saw her, he smiled gently and said: "Come here..." He handed her the stack of papers: "Forget about the advertising shoot, don't let the two children suffer anymore. You organize your son's records, then let the little guy enroll in this school." Flora took the stack of papers from Matthew's hand, and when she saw the school's name printed on them, she couldn't help but widen her eyes and mouth in surprise. It was a prestigious school with very high admission requirements. But most importantly, the tuition was enormous. Flora calculated in her head and realized that she couldn't afford it. "Why not?" she asked. "There's no reason. My two kids are old enough to go to school now. And my son is a genius with a very high IQ. Following his friends would only waste his intelligence." Matthew replied. Flora was too preoccupied with Matthew's words to notice something else. He had referred to her son as "my son." as if he was his child. Before she could object, Laura, the m
Then, she turned to the old lady, shook her head, and spoke firmly: "You're mistaken. She has nothing to do with your Tremblay family. Please leave."The old lady sighed and left, saying: "I'll come back."In a split second before turning around to leave, it seemed like the old lady's figure had aged by decades.Flora pursed her lips, closed the door, and turned back to see her mother slumped in her chair with a pensive expression as if thinking about something.She didn't want to interrupt her mother's train of thought, but she couldn't help asking: "Mom, what she said... Is the man named Edsel Tremblay my father?""Flora..." Her mother took her hand and sat her down, gently stroking her soft hair, and sighed: "Do you blame me for all these years? Do you blame me for not giving you a complete family?"Flora pursed her lips and looked straight into her mother's eyes. In her mother's eyes were loneliness, regret, and heartache, all mixed."Mom, why did you say that?" Flora smiled at he
Matthew traversed the span of thousands of miles to reach Australia, all for the ownership of a flower garden. He was uncertain about the significance of this garden, only aware that it currently resided in another's hands, and that his foster father desired it. Flora strolled alongside him, her eyes darting about, enveloped by an air rich with the subtle aroma of flowers. "What are you daydreaming about? Watch your step…" Matthew’s voice barely finished echoing when the girl at his side stumbled over a rock. With a swift gesture, he reached out to steady her, sighing deeply: "I told you to be careful… Really… even the children aren't this clumsy." Flora’s heart pounded wildly, her face flushing a vibrant red. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on the sleeve of the man’s shirt. His masculine cologne melded with the surrounding floral fragrances, intoxicating the space around them. Within that mesmerizing aroma, it seemed she could detect a peculiar scent. Their intimate posture
Matthew seemed unconcerned about whether Lionel believed him or not, continuing to stare at the detonator in his hand: "If you want to confirm whether she's Edsel Tremblay's daughter or not, it's not difficult... kill her. If the Tremblay family doesn’t seek revenge, then you win your bet." Lionel's hand holding the gun trembled even more. He couldn't deny that his determination was wavering. If the girl had no connection to the Tremblay family, that would be alright. But what if she was really Edsel Tremblay's daughter? Just one wrong decision, and he could bury himself and everyone associated with him. Just as he was still indecisive, someone stealthily snuck up behind him, physically overpowering him and twisting his arms behind his back. He hastily pulled the trigger, but the gun was no longer pointed at Flora's temple. "You...you..." He grinded his teeth in anger, wishing he could tear Matthew apart. But at this point, Matthew's attention was elsewhere, focusing on the foolis
"Did you call a doctor yet?... Let me see..." Matthew, upon entering the room, saw his secretary lying on the bed, the blanket pulled up tightly around her. A fleeting thought brushed through his mind, as though he had witnessed a similar scene somewhere before. But the image passed too quickly for him to grasp. His concern for the woman lying on the bed had already consumed his attention, leaving no room for unrelated memories. His broad hand gently touched her forehead, the heat transferring to his palm. Matthew sighed: "It's too hot!" He tilted his head, pushing aside the unruly hair that veiled Flora's beautiful face, revealing a countenance flushed like a ripe tomato. Her eyebrows knitted tightly together, her breath coming in uneven gasps. Clearly, she was in discomfort. Even with her face burning so hot, she wouldn't let go of the blanket. Matthew pulled the thin blanket aside: "Don't cover yourself so tightly, you'll suffocate... Why are you dressed like this?" The thin
“The pearls on the dress are so beautiful!” Matthew brimmed with delight, his smile twinkling as he turned to the person beside him: "The pearls are locally harvested by the islanders, they're all natural... As for this wedding dress, it's a heartfelt gift from them to us." Despite being not the creation of skilled artisans or renowned designers, the dress bore the love and blessings of the island's inhabitants. He believed that once Flora donned this gown, she would be the happiest bride on their big day. Standing aside, Grace rolled her eyes: "I never imagined you could be this sentimental, big brother!" Turning to Flora, she teased: "Sister-in-law, remember to keep him on a tight leash, don't let his sentimentalism make others feel queasy." Grace had long forgotten her once earnest desire to marry Matthew. Now, she genuinely wished him and Flora a life of shared happiness. Matthew chuckled: "My dear sister, no need to feel jealous of your sister-in-law. Perhaps you should seiz
Matthew, spotting his son, asked: "Don't you want to bid Anna farewell? You two had such fun together, I bet you can't bear to see her go, right?" To his surprise, Charlie shook his head: "No, Dad, I don't want to say goodbye to that liar." The boy lowered his head, his voice steady: "She said she would stay here with Paul and me, but then she just left without a word. She really is a liar!" The boy slowly walked back to his room. Flora watched her son's retreating figure, unable to hold back a sigh: "He must be really upset." "We can't do anything about it. She's their child after all, we can't force her to stay. I know you worry about our son being upset, but don't worry, our boy is strong." And, if the children truly cherish this hard-earned relationship, they can always reconnect when they grow up. "You don't seem worried about him at all." "What else can we do? If it were Paul or our boy staying at someone else's home, I'd certainly rush to bring them back too, I wouldn'
Flora waited until they were away from their daughter's room to give Matthew a playful tug on the ear: "What's this about the wedding? You told me it was in two weeks, how did it suddenly become three days?” It was now that she finally began to question him. Earlier, when Matthew didn't see her react, he thought he had managed to escape unscathed. Little did he expect that she had noted down his wrongdoings, only to bring it up when they were away from their daughter's room. "I was wrong! I was wrong! Oh, my dear wife, please forgive me!" He cried out: "But it's really for you!" "What? How is it for me?" Flora's voice was filled with shock. Why would he move the wedding closer because of her, without her even knowing anything? Matthew rubbed his ear that was still tingling, explaining: "When I was massaging you, you said that two weeks was too long, that you wanted to get married sooner. I thought that since we were almost prepared anyway, it wouldn’t matter if we did it a bit so
Flora, with drowsy eyes, suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, I spoke with Grace yesterday, and she told me a lot about you. She said most of the houses on the island were built with your money, even the public facilities. I wasn't aware of this before. Seems like I've landed an immensely rich husband, a man of vast wealth?" The cost of construction, let alone the transportation of materials from the mainland, was astronomical. "I knew S.E.I Corporation was huge, but I had no idea you'd also invested in this..." "That's not true." Matthew chuckled: "S.E.I's profit is indeed enormous, but the money used for the island's development didn't come from the corporation. It's a personal endeavor of mine, not part of the corporation's philanthropy." So, the funds for this island's construction, are they Matthew's private money? Such a thought might not be entirely appropriate, yet upon hearing his words, Flora immediately wondered, could he have used money earned from the underworld to
Once they had settled in, they brought up serious matters. "I heard from him that there is a spy in the organization, but we don't know who." Flora had only heard about this from Matthew. The person opposite her nodded: "I asked our brother about it last time, but he didn't say anything. His demeanor seemed... rather upset." He sighed after speaking, then quickly changed his tone: "But don't worry sister-in-law, once your and brother's happy event is over, we'll investigate the organization. Sooner or later, that spy will expose himself." This matter nagged at Flora's heart. She couldn't understand how Selena had the capacity to manipulate Matthew's subordinates. According to Matthew, she was merely a pawn in Daniel's game. Who was Selena leveraging? Or rather... who was secretly assisting her against Matthew? "Ah... It hurts so much!" A sudden scream from outside in the flower garden startled Flora. She hastily ran out to see Matthew's two brothers, whom she knew, fighting.
Grace asked anxiously: "Sister-in-law, still no word from my brother?" Flora shook her head in despair. The rescue team had commenced operations, initiating a wide-scale search at sea. There were no updates so far, and Flora was forced to believe that no news sometimes can be good news. "Is there no way to contact him?" Grace furrowed her brows: "Isn't he a tech whiz? Isn't there another way..." Grace's words caused a light to shine in Flora's eyes: "Yes! There is a way!" After a few long dial tones, the call connected successfully and a lazy voice dripped with familiar sarcasm: "Ah, beautiful lady, you finally called me. Didn't you know how much I've missed you..." "Hubert, cut the crap." Flora interrupted Hubert's grandiloquent remarks: "I need you to locate Matthew, can you do that?" "I can track him down, yes..." On the other end, keyboard clattering sounded: "But for what purpose? Are you trying to catch him cheating?" Hubert clicked his tongue, completely exaggerating.
After waiting about five minutes, the door opened and Grace walked straight in. "Matthew, you wanted to see me?" "Did your sister-in-law tell you to talk to me?" Grace's words took Matthew aback, not because he didn't expect her to know the ins and outs of the matter, but because she referred to Flora as her sister-in-law. It suddenly occurred to him, could the girl he saw as a sister have figured things out on her own? He let out a sigh and said softly: "She's quite worried about you." "In the past, we used to head to the beach at this time, swimming and discussing everything under the sun. In the blink of an eye, several years have passed, and you have brought your wife and children here, even proposed on this island..." Grace looked up at the sky: "I used to think that I would marry you someday, become your wife. Only now do I realize it was all a fantasy of mine. You have already found your happiness, and perhaps I will too, with someone truly suitable." Matthew had been
After dinner, Matthew took the children stargazing. Flora, feeling upset, decided to sit back and rest in a corner. A man in his early forties, presumably the owner of the house, seized the opportunity when Matthew was not around to bring a plate of fruits over, setting it on the table: “Try some island specialties. These are all fruits you can't find on the mainland.” Seeing her pick up a piece of fruit, he continued: “Grace was a bit impolite today, please don't take it to heart. We've spoiled her too much.” “She… seems to have a liking for my husband.” The affection in her eyes when she looked at Matthew and the hostility when she looked at Flora were easily discernible, even to a blind person. The man nodded, recounting: “The girl's a good swimmer. A few years ago, she saved two men out at sea. One of them was Matthew. He stayed here for nearly a year, learning to swim with her. During that time, he became quite close with everyone on the island. The girl… has wanted to
His cold eyes bore into Winky, he barked: "You want to die after your lady, then die! There's no one stopping you anymore! Go ahead and die! If you don't want to die, then get out of my sight!" "No... I didn't intend to..." Winky clutched his head, his voice trembling: "I had no idea she would just stand there and not evade..." His move wasn't swift, Mimi could've easily dodged if she had been alert.. The medical team arrived swiftly, and Mimi was immediately taken into surgery. Her wound was deep. Not only did Mimi not evade Winky's blade, but she also leaned forward, allowing the blade to pierce deeper into her chest. "Fortunately, the wound isn't in a critical location. Her life isn't in danger, don't worry." Andrey remarked, although he suspected Winky had intentionally missed vital organs. Otherwise, a renowned assassin like him surely would've known where to strike to take a life. The surgery lasted nearly two hours. Flora sat outside the operation room until the doctors c