“Carlie, I saw you from a distance, so I wanted to say hello. I had no bad intentions. Why are you always so prickly whenever you speak to me?”Lorraine looked as if she were completely innocent.Charlotte wasn’t in the mood to play along with her. “It’s not like I’m not aware of your personality. Stop wasting my time with your nauseating nonsense. I have a question, you and Zac—”“Wah!”A baby’s cries interrupted Charlotte like silver bells.Charlotte felt as if an invisible claw hooked itself onto her heart when she heard his cries.She instinctively turned toward the baby in the stroller, pushed around by Lorraine’s nanny.“Don’t cry, baby. Mommy’s here!”Lorraine quickly scooped the baby from his stroller and carefully held him in her arms.“Be good, baby. Mommy’s here. Be good to mommy, okay? Don’t fuss, don’t cry…”For some strange reason, Charlotte, who didn’t like children, felt as if a needle was relentlessly piercing through her heart when she saw the baby’s twisted
Lorraine had already caught up to him, carrying the baby as he spoke. She stuffed the baby into his arms. “I’m letting go. You hold him.”Zachary’s eyes darkened. His chiseled face was cold enough to frighten a man out of his wits.However, just as the little boy’s soft body snuggled against his chest, he felt as if a jolt of lightning hit him. His heart trembled, numbed, and filled with warmth…He held the little baby firmly against his chest as if his hands were not his own.The baby immediately stopped crying.The little boy, whose face was a miniature version of Zachary’s, stared up at his face with his large, crystal eyes. He placed his tiny, delicate hand on his eyebrow and trailed it down his nose. Then, he gurgled with laughter.At that moment, Zachary, who had initially detested Lorraine’s baby, felt his cold hard heart melt. His eyes, which were as cold as icicles all year long, displayed a wave of warmth…This scene struck a chord in Charlotte’s soul as she felt a sen
Zachary held onto the lock of hair and stared at the baby boy in the stroller. Charlotte had never seen him look so absentminded before.Lorraine turned around to leave. Just as she walked past Charlotte, she acted as if she had suddenly remembered something.“Is there anything you’d like to ask, Carlie?”“No…” Charlotte had no idea how she managed a reply.“Oh, really? But you seemed so stern and anxious when you asked me. It didn’t look like ‘nothing’. Let me guess… Your question must have something to do with Zachary.”Charlotte smiled icily. “I said, I don’t have any questions.”However, Lorraine refused to let go.“Did you want to ask me why I left him?”Unlike Lorraine, Charlotte wasn’t good at acting. Her lips twitched as she had guessed her mind accurately.“Actually, Zachary has always misunderstood me. I should have been more straightforward with him, but you’re my sister and Zachary’s wife. I shouldn’t hide things from you…”Lorraine turned her gaze toward Zachary
Annalita, who had been laughing and chatting with Charlotte just moments ago, instantly looked extremely sullen. “Coincidence? What do you mean by that? It’s as much of a coincidence as a piece of sh*t landing on my head from the heavens.”Lorraine’s smile froze in place before it could completely reach its fullest form.“Sorry, I know you don’t want to see me. I won’t impede your vision.” She hung her head, turned around, and moved to leave.“Stop!” Annalita’s icy voice called out to her.“Who said I didn’t want to see you? I may not have welcomed you in the past, but you’re Jebediah’s wife, which means you’re my sister-in-law, Zach’s aunt. I welcome you. Our entire family welcomes you. Come, sit. I’ll buy you lunch.”“Alright…”Lorraine’s smile was awkward. She was just about to sit in the empty seat on Zachary’s right when Annalita icily said, “Are there no other empty seats? Must you sit next to your nephew? You’re considered an elder. Come over to Carlie’s seat and sit wit
Kourtney Kleinman! Everyone in Rothesay knew about this promiscuous woman, who was in her mid-forties but still endearing enough to make countless men willingly spend a thousand dollars on her. Kourtney raised her wine glass and toasted Annalita even though everyone was looking at her with a peculiar look in their eyes.“Enjoy your Widowed Goose. Cheers.”Then, she gracefully downed the glass of wine.Enraged, Annalita snarled, “You shameless b*tch, how dare…””Madam Valentine, there’s no need to fight with this kind of person. Dignity is nothing to her, and unlike us, she doesn’t care about her reputation at all. Therefore, we should not stoop to her level. She doesn’t deserve to even talk to someone like us.”It was Lorraine who was speaking.Someone from the crowd gave her a thumbs-up. Not only did she have a pretty face, but she was well-cultivated as well. No one noticed that at that moment, Kourntey’s right hand, which was holding the wine glass, trembled hard.“Oh
Looking at Kourtney out of the corner of her eyes, Lorraine said contemptuously, “For the past twenty years, she’s been my mother in name only. Since the first day she gave birth to me, she has already severed all ties with me. She’s just never said it out loud. Fine, then. I will make it clear today. I, Lorraine Larson, am cutting ties with my mother, Kourtney Kleinman. From now on, she is no longer my mother and I’m no longer her daughter.” “Awesome!”“Nice job, Ms. Larson!”“That's what you should do! We support you!”“Let me clap for you, Mrs. Larson.”Then, someone in the crowd clapped his hands. Initially, only a few people joined him, but slowly, more and more people joined in and picked up the tone until the entire restaurant was filled with a hurricane of applause.Kourtney felt as if someone had stabbed her in the heart. She gripped the glass wine tightly and hurled it onto the table, shattering it in the process.Lorraine Larson!Even though both Lorraine and Charlo
“This is a matter of principle for me. It’s not a multiple-choice question with different answers, so I don’t have to consider it.”Everyone looked at her with a peculiar look on their faces, but Charlotte remained unperturbed.“No matter what she’s done to me, no matter how heartless she has been, it’s her blood inside of me. She’s my mother, and that’s a fact that no one could change, including me. I can hate her, I can look down on her, but I will never cut ties with her.”The crowd looked at each other, and a weird silence reigned over the restaurant. Lorraine had been chuckling to herself, and it took her a lot of effort to suppress her delight.‘Charlotte Simmons, you truly are the most idiotic person I’ve ever met! Kourtney is the woman Annalita hates the most in the world, and you still dare to oppose her and stand up for Kourtney? You’re so dead, Charlotte. So dead that not even Zachary will be able to save you!’As expected, Annalita growled scornfully. “Hmph! People a
“I tried my best to help you get even with her just now, and this is what I get in return? Not appreciation, not happiness, but humiliation? I know you’ve always disliked me, which is why you never stop making things difficult for me. You’ve always wanted to drive me away. Fine, then. If that’s what you want, I will leave now.”Upon saying that, she pushed the stroller and left. Annalita sneered, “Zach, you see? There's nothing real about this woman. Her innocence, her diffidence, everything is nothing but a pretense. Right now, she’s finally showing her true colors and she is starting to act like an unreasonable shrew. If you married her, not only would you bring a shrew into our family, but she might also make a cuckold out of you, like her mother did to Carlie’s father!”There was no expression on Zachary’s face, but his perfectly shaped lips were slightly curled upward at the tips. He did not say anything, nor did he give a response.Charlotte found herself unable to see thr
As expected, a video had been sent to Charlotte’s inbox.Charlotte opened it and found a video of her recent sexual encounter with Zachary in the car. She screamed and blushed furiously.Before long, she received a message from Rufus.“This exciting clip of you with Zachary is your remuneration. I will keep it safe and save it for my future enjoyment. Our debt has been repaid. You’re welcome!”Charlotte’s expression stiffened.A few minutes later, she received another message.“I won’t let anyone see this. Don’t worry.”Charlotte questioned herself.She had no idea how Rufus had managed to get this video. He was in a different city. However, she let go of the question soon enough, as Rufus had already sent the information to her inbox.The next day, at a high-class hotel in Rothesay.A black Masserati was parked outside the hotel entrance. As two bodyguards escorted a pot-bellied, middle-aged man out of the hotel, the driver hurriedly opened the Masserati’s door and said in a
“Lory…” A clear and melodious voice called out.A fair hand held her by the wrist as a car stopped nearby.“Zachary is openly making love to another woman in front of you. He’s obviously just trying to hurt you. You know this, so why are you still standing here, watching foolishly?”Lorraine shook her head feebly. It took her a while before she calmed down and replied shakily, “You’re wrong, Jez. Zachary isn’t doing it with her to hurt me. I’m nothing to him now. Carlie is the only thing that matters to him. He would never use tools to hurt me. He’s doing this because he’s so in love with Carlie that he’s lost control!”“Uh…” Jezebel turned awkwardly toward Charlotte’s car, shook her head, and said, “Lory, since you know you mean nothing to Zachary, why are you still torturing yourself? Forget him, and I’ll take you anywhere you like. Isn’t that much better?”“No!” Lorraine grimaced. Her eyes flashed hatefully.“It’s all Charlotte’s fault that Zach and I have ended up this way. I
The corners of Charlotte’s lips twitched. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”“Why?” Zachary kept his eyes on her.There was no doubt about it. Not only did his wife have an extremely exquisite face, but her figure was also graceful and well-proportioned, better than a supermodel’s.The subtle display of fair flesh underneath her skirt seemed to exude a seductive fragrance. Her waist, which was the width of an A4 size paper, was slender. He felt an urge to hold her in his arms. She crossed her slender and well-proportioned legs naturally, creating a dark silhouette…‘D*mn it!’Zachary realized that the longer his gaze lingered on Charlotte’s body, the brighter the flames of passion burned within him, even though he had always abstained.“Based on Rothesay tradition, a man and a woman can only be considered husband and wife after holding a proper wedding ceremony. I know we’ve registered, but people will talk if we live together without having a ceremony,” Charlotte replied calmly
Charlotte remained sitting calmly in the car. She knew that this time, Zachary was determined to strangle Lorraine to death.Of course, she didn’t want Zachary to do it… But not because she didn’t want Lorraine to die. It was because Lorraine had Jezebel’s support. If Zachary killed her, Jezebel would do everything to avenge Lorraine.It wasn’t worth it for Zachary to plunge into mutual destruction with Lorraine. She didn’t deserve him.Charlotte knew very well that since Lorraine, who was a natural schemer, had the nerve to seek her out alone, it meant that she would have been prepared to run into Zachary and would ensure that Zachary would be too afraid to kill her.Thus, even though Zachary was strangling Lorraine, Charlotte did not exit the car to stop him.The car door opened and closed.Charlotte felt a bone-chilling aura throughout the entire car as soon as Zachary entered the co-driver’s seat.Zachary didn’t speak. Instead, he stared at her.Despite her intimate relatio
“What have you done?” Zachary’s voice was as cold as a frosty wind.“I’ve hired a few assassins. The assassins and I have had an agreement. If anything happens to me, they will do everything in their power to kill Charlotte and her two kids!”Charlotte’s entire body went cold as soon as she heard this.“Hehehe… Sorry, Zach, I misspoke. I shouldn’t have said ‘her two kids’. They’re yours and Charlotte’s kids, aren’t they?”Lorraine supported herself as she rose to her feet.In the past, no matter what happened, she would always do her best to maintain a good impression in front of Zachary, to show him the best parts of her.Now, she knew that his impression of her was gone with the wind. She cackled freely like a maniac. “Hahahaha… Look at that nervous look on your face, Zach. You’ve always been fearless, but she’s the only one who’s ever been able to make you lose your sh*t, isn’t she?”Zachary eyed Lorraine icily, his gaze as sharp as cold knives. Lorraine, whose heart was no
Lorraine forgot about the pain due to the intense panic she felt and stared at Zachary in disbelief. “Zachary, what do you mean by these scary remarks? I’m pregnant, yet you kicked me, disregarding mine and the child’s well-being. Could you be... Are you thinking of... Are you thinking of killing me?”“A wicked woman like you deserves more than just death.” Zachary’s cold voice slapped Lorraine in the face.Lorraine’s lips trembled, but she could not utter another word, as if her throat was being severely strangled by an invisible hand.Cough! A large mouthful of blood was spat out of her mouth, dyeing her white dress red.Although she did not feel pain or fear, her heart was glacial.She also knew that she deserved more than just death!‘But... wicked woman?‘I didn’t expect to be labeled as a “wicked woman” in Zachary’s heart someday!’As he was glaring at this pitiful woman, there was not even a hint of sympathy in Zachary’s eyes, and his voice still sounded frigid and merci
Lucas called not long after Charlotte put down her cell phone. “Milady, I just received a call from my ex-girlfriend, who I dumped last month, and she said that she just found out that she’s pregnant and she suspects that the baby might be my child... Ahem!“Therefore, I have to go to the hospital to get a paternity test with her as soon as possible. I don’t have time to drive Naomi back to your house, so you can either pick her up yourself or just let Naomi stay at the Second Master’s house.”Charlotte decided to pick Naomi up.As soon as she drove out of the yard gate, a crimson Ferrari dashed toward her head-on. She immediately turned the steering wheel sharply, avoiding a direct clash with the car.Braking harshly, the Ferrari hit the tree and killed its engine.Charlotte also stepped on the brake.The Ferrari’s door was pushed open abruptly, and Lorraine walked in front of Charlotte’s car angrily. She then pointed at Charlotte with her trembling right hand. “Charlotte Simmon
“Don’t forget who I am. There’s nothing that I can’t find out as long as I want to know... Aaaah—“Baby, you‘re hurting me. Don’t be too greedy... Oh, slow down, I’m on the phone. Oh. Ow—” The man’s voice was interrupted by a series of his own cries, and a woman’s moans were coming from the background at the same time.Charlotte vaguely pictured a rather explicit scene, blushed, and cleared her throat. “Um... I can call you later if it’s inconvenient for you to speak now.”“There’s no need. It’s convenient. Very convenient... Good girls, wait for me on the bed. I’ll get angry otherwise, understand?”“Hmph, are we less significant than your phone calls? Hmph!”“Don’t keep us waiting!”The sound of footsteps faded away.The man squinted his rare violet eyes and said languidly, “My little Simmons Princess, I’ve long heard people say that you’re still alive, and I really want to take a look at you with my own eyes, but I’ve sworn to never take another step into Rothesay. You should
Zachary looked at Charlotte through the window as a surge of pride swelled inside of him. “She’s my wife right now, so she’s your niece-in-law. You shouldn’t call her ‘that woman’ anymore.”The corner of the man’s lips curled up a little when he heard what Zachary had said. However, he soon reverted to his serious expression and continued. “Zach, even if she’s your wife now, I have to warn you. You have to think twice before you act. My great-grandfather, who’s also your great-grandfather, was framed and died in prison for offending someone from the royal family. Your great-great-grandmother wrote a letter with her own blood and came up with a family rule. The Connors are only allowed to do business. They are not allowed to deal with people from the government. Do you really want to break the family rule for her?”“Yes,” Zachary replied, his deep brown eyes filled with murderous intent. “I owe her a wedding, and I don’t want them to interfere with my wedding.”The man opened his mou