Wendy had no idea what she was saying.Stanley looked at the ice cream in her hand, then back to her delicate, angelic face. His voice came out rough as he asked in return, "Some of what?"Wendy's mind was in a complete blur. She didn't understand what he meant by that. Her heart raced—thump, thump, thump. The tension in the air between them was palpable, almost like it could be cut with a knife.Wendy decided to put an end to the whole thing. "Mr. Hawk, I'm going to bed now. I'll hang up."She quickly ended the video call.Halsey, preparing to shower, noticed Wendy's flushed cheeks. "Wendy, why is your face so red?"Wendy touched her face absentmindedly. "Maybe it's just the heat. Hurry up and go take your shower, Halsey.""Okay," Halsey replied, heading off to the bathroom.Left alone, Wendy sat down, looking down at the ice cream in her hands. Slowly, her thoughts began to clear. Why had she panicked earlier? This morning, she had asked him on the phone if he wanted her
Over the years, Stanley had been surrounded by the temptation of women, and he had met some skilled ones. He knew what Wendy was doing—she was trying to tease him. She wanted to see if she could hook him in, if he would take the bait.A thin, knowing smile tugged at the corner of Stanley's lips. That little temptress.Just then, his phone rang, cutting through the tension. The screen flashed with the caller ID, "Jessica".The display of her name immediately cooled Stanley down. The heat that Wendy had stirred up in him slowly faded. Stanley answered the call.Jessica's soft voice came through. "Stanley, are you still upset? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have argued with you or thrown things. Honestly, I was just jealous. I got jealous that you were so kind to Wendy. Please don't be angry anymore. I love you. I really, really love you!"Over the years, Jessica had been spoiled by him, but now, she was humbling herself, apologizing and coaxing him gently, telling him over and over how
Trish smiled confidently. "Grandma, this is just the beginning. I'll go even farther in the future."Edith grinned widely, proud as could be. She knew her granddaughter was something special and would surely bring glory to the Crone family.Archer and Natalie were just as pleased. The more accomplished their daughter became, the better her chances of marrying into a prestigious family.Just then, Edith noticed Wendy standing behind them. Her expression darkened. "Wendy, who allowed you to come here?"Wendy had shown up, but the family was so caught up in their happiness that they hadn't even noticed her.Trish glanced at Wendy briefly. "Grandma, I invited Wendy. She wanted to ride on my coattails. It's fine. Let her stay here."Edith didn't want Wendy there at all. Both Trish and Jessica had brought honor to the Crone family, but Wendy only brought embarrassment. In Edith's mind, Wendy had never truly been part of the family.Since Trish had spoken up, Edith's voice became sharp
Trish had no idea how many people would be gossiping about her behind her back. She was someone who couldn't stand being talked about, especially when it was for something as embarrassing as this. "Grandma, Dad, Mom, I don't know how things got this bad!" Trish exclaimed, her voice shaky with panic.Archer and Natalie looked equally panicked. "Trish, you didn't offend Dr. Ceylan, did you?"Edith slapped her thigh in frustration. "Oh, no! Dr. Ceylan is a medical genius—someone we can't afford to cross! What are we going to do now?"Wendy stood off to the side, watching as the family scrambled in a panic over Dr. Ceylan's disapproval.Trish's eyes were red, and she was visibly shaken. Just then, Natalie spoke up, her voice full of thought. "Trish, do you know if Dr. Ceylan is a man or a woman?"Archer frowned. "How is that relevant?""Well, if Dr. Ceylan is a man," Natalie said, her voice lifting with hope, "if he saw someone as beautiful and talented as Trish, he'd definitel
The young men quickly began teasing, their voices rising in a playful chorus. "What kind of friend is this? Boyfriend or girlfriend?" "Nathan, are you secretly dating someone?" "So, what's going on? Planning to reveal your girlfriend today, huh? Which lucky lady managed to catch your eye?" Nathan smirked and muttered, "Keep it down, or you'll scare her off." Hearing that, the crowd went wild. Stanley sat on the couch, his posture relaxed. Jessica sat beside him, smiling knowingly. "Stanley, do you think the person Nathan is waiting for is Wendy?" Benny chimed in, "It has to be her. Nathan's totally smitten with her!" Sienna shot them a jealous look. In their social circle, it was hard for regular people to break in. But here Nathan was, inviting Wendy, someone from outside their usual group, to his birthday. That alone spoke volumes about how much he cared for her. Stanley, dressed in a sharp black shirt and trousers, remained calm, his expression as impassive
Nathan didn't even glance at the gifts from the others, but when it came to the one from Wendy, he seemed genuinely interested. "I'm curious too," he said with a smile.Benny casually placed the gift bag on the coffee table, and Nathan reached in to pull out the contents.Wendy's heart sank as she realized the gift might disappoint Nathan. She nervously said, "Nathan, I came in a bit of a rush, so I just bought you—"She was about to say "a wallet" but stopped abruptly when Nathan pulled out not a wallet, but a letter.Wendy froze."Nathan, the pretty lady wrote you a letter? Come on, read it out loud for us!" someone urged.Nathan held up the letter and read it out loud. "Nathan, today's your birthday, and I wanted to give you a special gift. Honestly, from the moment I saw you, I've fallen for you. I promise to be your girlfriend. Let's make this official."Wendy felt her heart stop. She didn't write this letter. Her gift had been swapped!She recalled how Benny had hand
"Stanley." Jessica finally spoke up, breaking the tension. "You don't even like Wendy, and we both know you two are bound to divorce eventually. But now Wendy has found her happiness, and it's with Nathan. Wendy managed to win over someone that even the richest debutantes couldn't. We should be happy for her, shouldn't we, Stanley?"Stanley's cold eyes briefly narrowed, his gaze sharpening at her words.At that moment, the attendants brought over the cake and lit the candles. "It's time for the birthday boy to make a wish and blow out the candles."Nathan blew out the candles and then began slicing the cake. The first piece, of course, was meant for the birthday boy.But Nathan took a piece of the cake and held it up to Wendy's lips instead.Wendy glanced at him before opening her mouth to eat. Just as she was about to take a bite, Nathan pulled his hand away, teasing her.Seeing the playful grin on Nathan's face, Wendy knew just how to play the part of the affectionate gir
Stanley raised his hand and gently pulled his arm away from Jessica's grip. His voice was cold and indifferent as he said, "I've had some drinks, so I can't drive. I'm heading back to the office now. You can go home by yourself."Zayn pulled up with the Rolls Royce, and Stanley climbed into the car before it drove off.Jessica stood there, alone. She wasn't upset; on the contrary, she was rather pleased with how things were going.Just then, Sienna walked over, stomping her feet in frustration. "Jessica, can you believe that Wendy actually wrote a love letter to seduce Nathan? She's so shameless!"The love letter wasn't Wendy's doing—it was something Jessica had Benny prepare. But she hadn't told Sienna that. This was all part of her plan—getting Wendy and Nathan together while also fueling Sienna's hatred for Wendy."Sienna, Wendy doesn't deserve Nathan. But you know how men are—they always want what they can't have. Trust me, it won't be long before Nathan gets tired of her," Je
One of the other girls sneered, "Dwight's dad was a drug dealer, right?"Alina nodded. "Yeah, he's the son of a drug dealer. His mom's blind, and he has a sister in middle school. Their family situation is pretty terrible, but with a drug-dealing father, a blind mother, and a struggling family, it only makes me want to win him over even more. It feels like a challenge. Ha!"Alina and the girls around her all laughed, their voices wobbling with amusement, mocking Dwight's family.Halsey's expression hardened. She turned off the tap and glared at Alina and the others with her striking almond eyes. "Are you done laughing?"Her sudden voice caught Alina and the others off guard.Alina looked over at Halsey, quickly recognizing her. "Well, well, it's the famous Halsey. What does our conversation have to do with you?"Halsey furrowed her brow. "You shouldn't be mocking others. You can't use someone's pain as your joke."Halsey had been to Dwight's house, and despite the difficult ci
[Answer me!] Stanley demanded.Wendy couldn't help but laugh. Who did he think Stanley was? Her boss? Why should she listen to him?She ignored him once again.Samuel, sitting in the driver's seat, chuckled. "Wendy, even though you and Mr. Hawk are divorced, I can't help but feel like there's still something between you two. Is he still interested in you?"Wendy shrugged, uninterested. "I don't know."Samuel smirked. "When I put my arm around you in the store, he looked like he wanted to chop my hand off. I have to say, pretending to be your boyfriend is a dangerous job."Wendy turned her head to look at him. "Well, if you don't want to pretend, I could always ask Daryl or Ernest.""Don't even think about it. I'd walk through fire for you!"The two of them joked and laughed, and before long, they arrived at Clavendale University. Wendy made her way to the girls' dorm, only to find that Halsey wasn't there.Wendy sat down to wait for her.As Wendy had guessed, Halsey had gon
Archer and Natalie were absolutely pleased with Dr. Ceylan as their future son-in-law.However, Trish's expression darkened. She pulled out her phone and dialed Dr. Ceylan's number.The call connected, but instead of Dr. Ceylan's voice, a cold, robotic voice answered. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service."Not in service?Trish's heart fell to her stomach. She quickly dialed again.But once again, the same robotic voice replied, "Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service."Trish immediately tried to text Dr. Ceylan on WhatsApp. But the text wouldn't send. Instead of two ticks, the status remained a single tick.Dr. Ceylan had blocked her.The number was now disconnected, and WhatsApp showed her as blocked. The man who had been sweet-talking her just yesterday had vanished into thin air, and now she couldn't reach him at all.With a loud thud, Trish's phone slipped from her hand and fell to the carpet. She collapsed onto the floor like a deflated bal
Dr. Ceylan was a woman?Both Edith and Trish froze, their faces turning pale. "Mr. Samuel, what are you talking about? Dr. Ceylan can't be a woman. I'm dating him! He's a man!"Samuel raised an eyebrow. "I not only know Dr. Ceylan, but we're also very close. I'm telling you: She's a woman."Trish was so stunned by this news that she stood frozen in place. "That's impossible! You must be lying to me!"Edith, too, couldn't believe it. "Mr. Samuel, I understand that you're dating Wendy now, but there's no need to joke about something like this."Neither of them seemed convinced, so Samuel shrugged. "Dr. Ceylan is a woman. Forget it if you don't believe me. Wendy, let's go.""Alright."Samuel turned and left with Wendy.Edith and Trish remained standing there, stunned. Edith nervously grabbed Trish's arm. "Why would Mr. Samuel say Dr. Ceylan is a woman? What's going on?"Just then, Jessica emerged from the fitting room, having changed into her clothes. She and Lilian walked over
Jessica regained her confidence. She shot a provocative glance at Wendy before heading into the fitting room to try on the dress.It didn't take long before Jessica came out, and both Lilian and Trish immediately praised her. "Jessica, you look stunning!"Jessica certainly looked beautiful in the lace dress, but there was an odd expression on her face. She felt like the waist was too tight.When she was in the fitting room, she had to suck in her stomach just to get the zipper up.She twirled in front of Stanley, holding the dress. "Stanley, do I look good?"Stanley stared at Jessica, silent.Lilian quickly jumped in, "Of course you look amazing, Jessica! How could you not? You're the lead dancer in ballet. You're leagues above all those housewives!"No sooner had Lilian finished speaking when a loud "rip" echoed through the room—the fabric of Jessica's lace dress had split at the waist.Lilian, stunned, went silent.Jessica let out a sharp scream and immediately reached to
Jessica told Stanley she wanted Wendy's dress.Her damned competitive nature wouldn't let her accept being outshone by Wendy. She had to have that dress. She couldn't let Wendy steal her spotlight!This wasn't the first time, either. Back when they were at the hot springs, Jessica had bought the bikini Wendy wanted.Stanley stared at Wendy.At that moment, Samuel reached for Wendy's soft waist and pulled her closer. With a smirk, he said, "Mr. Hawk, there's a certain order to things—rules, you know? Isn't that how it works?"Stanley's eyes narrowed as they fell on Samuel's hand. When Samuel had his arm around Wendy's shoulders, it had been bad enough, but now, with his hand on her waist, Stanley could feel the icy chill rising in his gaze.Jessica pouted, playing her usual game of charm. "Stanley, now that Mr. Samuel is Wendy's boyfriend, she's acting all high and mighty with him behind her. You're my boyfriend. You wouldn't let me lose to Wendy, would you?"Stanley pressed his
Jessica, Trish, and Lilian all felt like they had been thoroughly humiliated as well.Wendy turned her gaze to Stanley. "Do you believe me now?"Her clear, bright eyes sparkled with a playful glint. When Stanley saw Samuel's arm still around her, his handsome face darkened, the tension practically radiating off him.This little minx!Even Samuel had fallen under her spell. She really had a way of getting what she wanted!"Wendy, we're here to shop. Did you see anything you liked?" Samuel asked, trying to shift the focus.The sales associate immediately stepped forward, presenting a delicate lace dress. "This one would look perfect on you, miss."Wendy nodded. "I'd like to try it on.""Of course. Go ahead."Wendy took the lace dress into the fitting room.Jessica, however, was no longer in a good mood. She tugged on Stanley's arm. "I told you she's bad news! Look at her. She's already gotten herself tangled up with Mr. Samuel. Look at how nice he is to her. I think he's comp
Samuel had arrived.Jessica and the others had already met him yesterday at NovaHealth, but now that they were seeing him again, their expressions shifted dramatically.Samuel walked up to Wendy and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I just stepped out to take a call. What's going on here? It looks like I missed something interesting."Wendy flashed a playful smile. "No, you didn't miss anything. In fact, you're just in time. These people all wanted to meet my boyfriend, and I told them it was you."Wendy shot Samuel a knowing glance.Samuel instantly understood. He wrapped an arm around Wendy's slender shoulder and turned his gaze toward the others. "And these are…?"Wendy introduced them one by one. "This is Edith, Lilian, Jessica, and Trish Crone."Her eyes fell on Stanley's refined, handsome face. As soon as Samuel stepped into the room, Stanley's expression also shifted. Clearly, Stanley hadn't expected her boyfriend to be Samuel."And this person needs no introduction. Thi
Trish immediately straightened her back, her fiery red lips curling into a smirk. "Wendy, don't be jealous. Dr. Ceylan is my boyfriend, and we're getting married soon."Wendy nodded. "So you've multiplied your assets tenfold. When is Dr. Ceylan going to give you all that money? Has he said when it'll be delivered?"Edith paused, caught off guard. "Well…""Looks like he hasn't said anything. I guess he can say whatever he wants about how much money he'll give you. But I'll say it again—he's a fraud. You should watch out."Trish's expression immediately darkened. Her boyfriend Dr. Ceylan was the one thing she took the most pride in, and she wouldn't let anyone tarnish his name."You're just jealous of me! You're jealous I have someone like him as my boyfriend!" she spat.Jessica's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Wendy's not just jealous of you. She's jealous of me too, because I have Stanley."Before Wendy could respond, a deep, magnetic voice interrupted them."What are you all doi