That night, Harper was dragged away by her mother. Clutching her heartbroken, wailing child, she turned back as she stepped out the door, her tear-filled eyes pleading with Leon Everhart.Leon’s gaze was full of sorrow as he looked at her.He felt no triumph in this moment. Harper had been the wife he carefully selected based on strict standards. The outcome was entirely his design, and yet, his heart felt heavy and tired.The one who suffered the most was Leon Everhart’s mother. From the day Harper entered their home until now, she had truly treated Harper like her own daughter.On Olivia’s wedding day, Mrs. Everhart overheard a guest comment, “That little Everhart boy looks so much like his uncle, but not at all like Mr. Leon Everhart.”When she turned back, she couldn’t figure out which guest had said it.The comment embedded itself in her mind like a nail. Once back home, she started holding the child daily, examining him closely but unable to shake her doubts.She didn’t dare sha
On Seraphina Arden's end, things started off smoothly.Jerry, fresh out of university, was full of ambition. He wanted to achieve great things, but despite having read countless books, studied numerous business cases, and absorbed loads of motivational content, he couldn't sell a single product.The truth is, a competent entrepreneur is an all-rounder—a person of sharp intuition, unique vision, strategic foresight, detailed execution, the capacity to endure failures, and the resilience to rise again after setbacks. All these qualities are indispensable.Most people only see the glamorous success and invincible façade of wealthy entrepreneurs, without realizing the countless battles they fought to get there—beneath the surface lies a body full of scars.Jerry was initially amazed when Seraphina Arden seemingly brought him a pot of gold during his darkest days. He thought it was just luck since she herself called it a coincidence.But when Seraphina Arden went on to sell many more paten
At one of Leon Everhart's construction sites, a strong wind caused a collapse, crushing a car. One person died on the spot, another was seriously injured, and several vehicles were damaged. Rumors about the accident spread like wildfire, with exaggerated claims that the Everhart family’s construction site had suffered a major catastrophe.Meanwhile, as time went on, it became increasingly difficult for the Henry family to extract money from Leon Everhart.As the saying goes: A gift of a peck of rice creates gratitude; a gift of a bushel of rice creates resentment.The Everhart family’s misfortune became a source of excitement for the Henry family. When Henry came to inquire, Leon deliberately exaggerated the accident’s severity. He noticed a fleeting smirk on Henry’s face and internally sneered: Back then, enticed by the 20% stake in the Henry family’s steel factory and believing Harper to be a virgin who bore my child, I let you into my life. I never imagined you’d cling to me like a
Lucas's misfortune spread like wildfire through his family, thanks to his mother’s loose tongue.It didn’t take long for word to reach all the sisters in the family. Many family scandals are often leaked by relatives themselves.Lucas tried calling Seraphina Arden, hoping she could help him by pleading with Leon Everhart to negotiate with Olivia for the return of his car.But Seraphina had already blocked Lucas. He had no way of reaching her.With Olivia now pregnant and unwilling to divorce, Lucas found himself cornered. Olivia’s assets were all premarital, leaving Lucas with no claim to any part of them.The car, registered in Lucas’s name, was purchased with Olivia’s money, and Harper had even helped pay off the loan. Now carless, Lucas still had to shoulder the monthly car payments.Having been dismissed from Faithful Law Firm, Lucas found a new job at a smaller, more distant law office. Without a car, the commute became a major inconvenience.Lucas’s mother called Chloe, saying:
Seraphina Arden didn’t face the typical challenges of starting a business. With nearly a year of experience at Jerry's company under her belt, she was now handling everything with ease.Before decorating and setting up her office, Seraphina had already drafted detailed regulations, codes of conduct, and reward-and-punishment systems for the company.Having suffered through years of grueling overtime, Seraphina was adamant that employees should work efficiently during office hours and leave on time.Now, Seraphina truly understood Leon Everhart’s words about the importance of rules and order. If she relaxed her grip, people would become complacent. While she maintained her signature gentle demeanor most of the time, she had learned to rein in her emotions and, when necessary, show a colder side to get things done.Seraphina never thought she would one day understand Leon Everhart so deeply—let alone start resembling him.She treated Jerry’s former classmates to a meal and proposed a ne
Seraphina Arden sighed and let go, allowing Leon Everhart to step inside.She stood in the middle of the living room, silently observing Leon Everhart.Leon tilted his head and looked back at her. Their eyes met, but Seraphina didn’t flinch or avoid his gaze.After a long pause, Leon finally broke the silence.“Seraphina Arden, long time no see.”Seraphina didn’t respond. She had no idea what to say to him.The six-month promise Leon Everhart had once made was long forgotten by Seraphina. Their relationship had ended before the New Year last year.Leon’s sudden appearance brought her no joy. She truly wanted a simple life. Now that she was living alone, she found it perfectly fine. Without him creating trouble in the east or his sister causing problems in the west, her days were peaceful and comfortable.Leon noticed her calm demeanor, devoid of any emotion, and felt his heart sink.“Trouble,” he thought to himself.“I came too late. Seraphina’s angry. What should I do?”A year withou
The next morning, Seraphina Arden emerged from her room, fully dressed and ready for the day. She noticed that the sofa had been tidied up, the bedding neatly folded. Leon Everhart sat upright on the couch, waiting.When Leon saw Seraphina, he greeted her with a radiant smile, a far cry from the persistent and clingy man he had been the night before.Standing, Leon approached Seraphina, stopping a meter away.In a serious tone, he said, “Seraphina, everything I told you last night was true. I understand that you might not love me, and that you probably feel a great deal of resistance toward me. I also know you yearn for the kind of love your parents share—a lifetime of commitment, growing old together. I didn’t understand that before, but I do now. I’ll work on myself and learn from your father. Seraphina, when I said I want to marry you, I meant it. Please don’t reject me outright. Think about it, okay?”Seraphina looked up at Leon, her lips pressed tightly together as though she wan
Seraphina Arden’s simple “okay” left Leon Everhart overwhelmed with emotion. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and looked up at the sky, finally letting go of the tension that had gripped him for so long.When Leon called Seraphina, he had been incredibly nervous. Despite his many experiences, he didn’t truly know how to handle relationships with women. He had always relied on instinct and mimicked his father’s ways, stumbling his way through interactions.While his mother was bedridden during her illness, she gave him and Liam heartfelt advice:“Life is like a vast river; you only need one cup of water to drink. A mansion may be vast, but you only need one bed to sleep in. The more you seek, the more you lose. If you truly want peace, do not wrong your wife. Marry a woman you truly love and stay faithful to her for life. I once dreamed of growing old with your father, but his infidelity broke my heart. If it weren’t for you two, I would have left this world long ago.“You thi
Leon’s StoryWhen his eldest daughter was born, Leon Everhart would rush home every day after work and sit by the cradle, staring at his tiny child for a long time.His daughter looked like him, and Mrs. Everhart said, “A daughter who resembles her father will always have food to eat and never worry about her livelihood.”Leon Everhart chuckled, “Then I must work even harder to ensure my little girl never has to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life.”With just a wife and a daughter, a man who once stood above all others could be pulled into the mortal world, touched by the warmth of ordinary life.When his daughter was just learning to crawl, she could only move a few steps before crying out in frustration. One evening, as soon as Leon Everhart stepped through the door, still in his black dress pants and white shirt, he heard her cries and felt his heart ache.He immediately rushed to her side, lay down on the floor, and said, “Baby, look at Daddy. Crawl like Daddy.”
That night, Liam had a few drinks and decided to stay at the Everhart family’s old mansion.On the first floor, his nieces and nephews were running around, their parents chasing after them tirelessly.Old Mr. Everhart always said, “When children are noisy at home, it means our family is thriving. It’s much better than hearing the sound of mahjong tiles all night.”Liam never called Harper “sister-in-law.”There was something Liam had never told anyone.He lived on the third floor, and one day, when he was coming downstairs, he ran into Harper. She smiled at him and called out in a soft, sweet voice, “Liam, wait for me.”Liam was no fool. He had been through countless encounters with women and had never been caught off guard. What kind of woman hadn’t he seen?The way Harper called him immediately set off alarm bells. His first instinct was that she was trying to seduce him, but he couldn’t quite believe it—after all, she had just married his brother, and on top of that, she was pregna
Harper’s brother brought her back home. As soon as she entered her room, she collapsed into bed and slept.When she woke up the next afternoon, Harper was still in a daze. She let her mother take her to get her hair done, go to the spa, and get a manicure. She moved like a puppet, allowing her mother to maneuver her as she pleased.These used to be part of her daily routine, but it had been a long time since she last enjoyed such luxuries.Ever since Lucas lost his job, Harper didn’t dare spend money recklessly. Once, she got a manicure that cost $480. When she returned home, Lucas’s mother nearly ripped her apart, acting as if every penny Harper spent belonged to Lucas—or rather, to her.When Miliya brought people to beat up Lucas’s parents and Lucas himself, Harper was the only one left untouched.Lucas’s parents blamed everything on Harper. They insisted that if she hadn’t seduced Lucas, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state.Harper snapped back, “He came to me on his
When Seraphina Arden said, "I owe you nothing in this life, and I hope we never meet in the next," Ethan knew that there was no way to salvage their relationship.Ethan was born with good looks and intelligence. His maternal grandfather’s family was well-off, and his mother was a beautiful and refined woman.His mother once told him that she had pursued Sebastian—she had chased after his father.Because his mother loved his father deeply, she was always anxious about him. No matter where Sebastian went, she had to ask about it, and if she didn’t get a clear answer, she would sulk.Whenever Sebastian came home late, his mother would pick fights and argue.No matter how exhausted he was, Sebastian would always lower his voice to coax his delicate wife and make her happy.His mother was fragile. Even with a housekeeper managing the home, and even after having Ethan, she paid little attention to him. Most of her time was devoted to her husband, as if she had been born solely for Sebastian
Leon Everhart and Seraphina Arden’s wedding took place as scheduled. However, Leon Everhart did not grant Seraphina Arden’s wish to keep it simple.In this city, Leon Everhart had some money, but there were many people wealthier and more powerful than him. Compared to them, he was far from being a true second-generation heir. He positioned himself as a self-made entrepreneur, the second generation of a growing business.The Everhart family lacked deep roots, and he was not able to marry a truly influential family’s daughter. Even in the past, the wealthy Henry family had looked down on him, and Harper had treated him the same way.Choosing Seraphina Arden was seen as "marrying down" in the eyes of the Everhart family.But for Leon Everhart, it was the perfect fulfillment of his wishes.If the wedding was too casual, people would look down on Seraphina Arden. Leon Everhart wanted to give her a surprise—he didn’t want to shortchange her in any way.At one point, Everhart’s mother had tr
Olivia was now at her wit’s end, isolated and helpless.In her darkest times, the appearance of her biological mother, Miliya, made her feel that there was still warmth in the world, that she still had a mother. She had once been moved and had come to believe that, in this world, only a mother’s love was truly unconditional.During her postpartum confinement, Miliya took meticulous care of Olivia, tending to her and the child with great dedication.Olivia started calling Miliya “Mom.”When Olivia’s child reached one month old, there was no sign of acknowledgment from the Everhart family. Miliya found it strange and asked Olivia, “The Everhart family values bloodline and heirs. Back then, I put such a big scandal on old Mr. Everhart’s head, and he let me go for your sake. He even made me promise never to seek you out again. To ensure I wouldn’t interfere in your life, he gave me a huge sum of money. That house in the village was built with the money that old man gave me. Now that you’v
Not long after Seraphina Arden's technology company resumed operations, an unexpected visitor arrived—Jerry.Upon hearing that Seraphina Arden had started a tech company in the same field as his, Jerry was furious. Subconsciously, he believed that the reason he wasn’t making sales was because Seraphina Arden had stolen his clients.Jerry stormed into Seraphina Arden’s office, slamming his hands on her desk.Seeing Jerry’s furious face, Seraphina Arden remained exceptionally calm. She showed no sign of worry; instead, she was tranquil. “Mr. Jerry, if you have something to discuss, we can talk it out properly. This is a workplace, and I have surveillance cameras here.”Jerry was fuming. “Seraphina Arden, are you stealing my business?”He ranted continuously, repeating over and over how Seraphina Arden was ungrateful and unethical for selling patents that should have been his.Seraphina Arden didn’t respond. She simply waited for Jerry to tire himself out.Once Jerry had shouted enough,
Seraphina Arden’s tech company closed for a one-week holiday and resumed operations afterward.Before the break, her flamboyant Leon heard that she wanted to give gifts to the professors who had supported her. That evening, he returned home with boxes of presents. The gifts, prepared by TerraVantage Group, were impressive and perfectly suitable for the occasion.Having a resourceful and thoughtful partner like Leon made Seraphina’s work remarkably efficient.Seraphina cherished her job deeply, knowing how hard-earned it was. After all, it was the only condition her father had set when negotiating her marriage with the Everhart family.Yet, over Christmas, Everhart’s mother subtly suggested that she quit her job and become a housewife.At the time, Seraphina had retorted sharply, but the suggestion left a lingering discomfort.When they were alone, Seraphina shared this with her mother, asking, “Mom, what do you think Leon’s mom was thinking?”Chloe responded, “She’s spent her whole li
This Christmas, Lucas and his family didn’t return to their hometown to visit his grandmother.The household had turned into utter chaos, with no sign of peace or holiday spirit.Over the past few months, far too many things had happened—things Lucas was afraid to even think about.Olivia’s mother, Miliya, was not someone to be trifled with. When she learned that Lucas and Olivia were still married while Lucas was living with Harper, she became furious. Adding insult to injury, Lucas’s parents didn’t care about their daughter-in-law Olivia but went to care for the mistress instead. This sent Miliya into a rage.She went back home, rallied her husband and two sons, and even hired a few extra hands. Together, they stormed into Harper’s house, where Lucas and his parents were staying. Dragging Lucas and his parents out, they began to beat them in public.With the door wide open, Miliya yelled through a megaphone:“Come one, come all! Look at this shameless family! Their lawful daughter-i