In the end, Madeline found herself in the backseat of a car, heading to the wine party she had been so set against.Trevon had played his cards right, dangling the bluefin tuna, then the caviar, and raving about the celebrity chef flown in just to dazzle the high rollers. That was a one-time deal, and she was in for the ride.Trevon promised Madeline a quiet spot where she could just savor the feast without the fuss of a party. Somehow, she found herself saying yes.It was probably the little one doing somersaults in her tummy, drooling over the thought of top-notch bluefin tuna.That had to be it.They slipped into their fancy outfits at Tracy's shop, sneaking into the bash without causing a ripple.Trevon had the room all set, and Madeline kicked back, comfy and carefree.However, the star of the show, the bluefin tuna Trevon raved about, showed up fully cooked. No raw sashimi delight because Trevon was playing it safe against any pesky parasites.Madeline could not help bu
Cilix spun around to see Madeline, hand on her stomach, coming from the other end of the hallway, a sneer plastered on her face.Next to her stood Trevon, his face icy.Cilix's forehead creased with worry. "You turned down Mr. Wafford in front of everyone. Don't you see anything wrong with that? Is this the kind of manners you were taught?"What did your mom use to tell you? Sure, you're young, and it's forgivable that you didn't think this through. As your dad, it's up to me to sort these things out for you."Madeline stared at his two-faced grin, Hoyt's words echoing in her head.How dare he stand there and lecture her with such high and mighty talk?She used to think his favoritism was because of Skylar.That the tiny bit of fatherly affection he had could not reach her.Then, she got it. It had nothing to do with Skylar.From the get-go, the one who was truly selfish and unfeeling was Cilix. Without Skylar, without the Lowes, there would just be another family like the Zwi
Jay's secretary courteously showed Madeline and Trevon out. When he came back, Jay was still lost in the painting's charm.Suddenly, Jay chuckled to himself. "She's a genuine one, that girl. Doesn't seem like she's just putting on a show for me."Later that night, Trevon and Edith each called Jay in turn, their words laced with concern and defense.He had not been bothered before, but their protective tone piqued his interest.Trevon had just sent word through the grapevine. Madeline was supposed to come by and apologize to him face-to-face.It was the perfect timing for a meet-up.The secretary's lips gave a little involuntary twitch.Apologize in person? More like Trevon was treating Madeline to a meal, and the apology was just a side dish.He had seen it himself—plate after plate of perfectly good tuna, grilled to a crisp, delivered to Trevon's lounge. What a waste of perfectly good fish.It took a while, but eventually, Trevon's messenger came back with another update.He
Madeline's heart skipped a beat. She had not expected to stumble upon such a bombshell, and it was too late to sneak away unnoticed. The sound of the balcony door swinging open made the two people next to her jump. They clammed up and turned to look at her all at once. Madeline saw it was the girl who had been singing earlier and Stephen. She gave an embarrassed grin and mustered up the courage to say, "Hello, Mr. Ferguson. Good evening. I should probably get going... You guys chat." Madeline was about to retreat and close the door behind her when Stephen, with a resigned smile, stopped her, "Hold on." Madeline peeked out from the door's edge. Stephen, with a furrowed brow, asked, "What brings you here?"He had canceled the dinner to keep her from getting too tired, and there she was at an even more exhausting party.Madeline offered a sheepish smile and explained, "Well... I heard the bluefin tuna here was out of this world, so I thought I'd give it a try." Stephen's exp
The 'Mr. Shaw' that Stephen mentioned was the president of a company that partnered with the Gibson Group. They were in the business of chip materials, pretty much a key supplier for the Gibson Group.Their partnership ran deep. Austin Shaw was close with Trevon's father.At the party, Trevon knew he could not just skip out on the meet-up, but to his surprise, Riley and Amelia Shaw were there too.Trevon did not think much of it at first, until Riley started nudging the idea of a marriage deal between their families.Austin seemed to be eating it up. Amelia, her cheeks all kinds of red, did not bolt, though.Then, Riley had the nerve to suggest Trevon walk Amelia home.Quick on his feet, Trevon made up some business with Jay to make his escape.However, the real mystery was how Stephen got wind of the whole thing so fast.Stephen's grin turned icy. "Mrs. Yagle's dead set on playing matchmaker for you, yet here you are, still hanging around Madeline."Madeline's face said 'shoc
Madeline knew better than to push further.However, to her surprise, Yvonne spun around and hurried back, sniffling as she confessed, "I've got a concert in two days. I can't afford to get sick."Madeline was at a loss for words."I'm freezing," Yvonne whimpered.Madeline was speechless again.Luckily, before Madeline could react, Stephen appeared with a thick coat in hand—Yvonne's coat.Once bundled up, Yvonne's warmth returned, and she grudgingly mumbled her thanks while still avoiding eye contact with Stephen.Stephen, a bit helpless, offered, "Come on. I'll drive you home."Yvonne hummed, not objecting, but her eyes darted between Madeline and Stephen, clearly trying to figure out what was going on between them.Why was he so attentive to a woman who was expecting?She had not caught wind of Stephen tying the knot.Then, there was Trevon.Why on earth had Trevon sent her an invite?It was all a big mess. She just could not wrap her head around it.Even after hopping i
After her explanation, Yvonne took a moment to gauge their reactions.Madeline was poker-faced, impossible to read, but Stephen could not hide his scoff.Yvonne was left scratching her head at their responses.What was that all about?Stephen cut to the chase. "Just keep your distance from Trevon, alright?"A thrill shot through Yvonne. Was he actually concerned about her?A wistful sadness crossed her face. "You think I have any power to fight back? I'm just a singer with no influence or connections. Trevon's the money man. If he says to go west, I wouldn't dare to head east."Yvonne nearly jumped out of her skin when she got Trevon's invite.She had never even met the guy, but out of the blue, her agent told her to switch her concert to Redenbaugh City.She was not thrilled about it."The big shot financier calls the shots," her agent explained.That was when it hit her. The Gibson Group had thrown a ton of sponsorship cash her way, with one string attached—she had to play
Amelia massaged her swollen ankle, looking up through tears to glare at Trevon.She was sure that he had not even tried to catch her.If he had not popped up out of nowhere, she would not have crashed into him and hit the ground, right?Trevon did not even bother to offer her a hand. That was just too much!However, with all the whispers she had heard about Trevon, Amelia bit back her anger, her eyes watery as she said, "Trevon, my foot's killing me."Trevon's frown was a deep crease on his forehead. He was planning to pass her off to Daniel, but Riley was already there with Austin in tow.Riley was clearly annoyed. "What are you waiting for? Help Amelia up now!"Trevon stayed put.Daniel got a couple of waitresses to help Amelia to her feet and sent someone for first aid.Her ankle was puffed up like a balloon, sending sharp jolts of pain with every little move.Austin winced in empathy. "This looks bad. We need to get her to a hospital.""Yeah, better safe than sorry in ca