Madeline quickly made adjustments to the sketch of the sorcerer's movements after watching Bernard's combat video.Bernard had a real knack for gaming. He had gotten the hang of the sorcerer's abilities in no time, pulling off moves that were as stylish as they were lethal.It was the perfect embodiment of a sorcerer.Once the artwork was polished and perfected, a mysterious and dangerous sorcerer seemed to spring to life from the page.Bernard sent her a flurry of thumbs-up emoticons in response.The sketch was a hit, so it was time to add color and detail.Madeline took a momentary breather when an unexpected visitor appeared in her hospital room.It was Lydia."I heard you were in the hospital, so I thought I'd drop by," she said.Madeline replied icily, "Cut the act. You know exactly why I'm here."Lydia was taken aback but kept her composure. "Madeline, what are you getting at? I'm lost."She was lost, was she? She would understand one day.Madeline did not want to was
A man with gold-rimmed glasses smiled as he announced smoothly, "Mr. Gibson has an urgent matter to attend to. Please bear with us."Without waiting for any questions, he slipped out, hot on Trevon's heels.As if he would stick around for a Q&A session. Daniel was an ace assistant—not a mind reader. How could he possibly explain Trevon's abrupt departure?After purging his stomach in the restroom, Trevon emerged to find Daniel waiting with a handkerchief at the ready.Taking it with a nod, Trevon cleaned up, washed his hands, and dialed Madeline with a scowl.The call was cut short. He tried again, only to be disconnected once more.Trevon's eyes were locked on his phone as he hit redial, his stubbornness refusing to let him back down.Madeline, clearly fed up, answered with a sharp edge to her voice. "What now?"Trevon clenched his jaw. "Is that any way to talk?"Without another word, Madeline ended the call.Trevon's gaze did not waver from the screen as he dialed her numbe
"Yanely?"Madeline was still puzzling over Yanely's sudden appearance when Yanely charged at her, closing the distance in a flash.Without uttering a single word, Yanely's hand swung out sharply and slapped Madeline across the face.The impact whipped Madeline's head to the side, a trickle of blood staining her lips.However, one slap was not enough for Yanely. She jabbed a finger at Madeline's nose, her voice dripping with disdain."You're a wife, and here you are, sneaking around with another man! Caleb, of all people? You've got some nerve! You're not worthy!"She raised her hand to strike again, but Caleb intervened, grabbing her wrist, "Yanely, stop spouting madness. Madeline's sick. I'm just here to check on her, that's all.""Check on her? Why would someone like her deserve your attention? It's obvious she's playing the sick card to lure you in! Now that my brother's ex-wife is back and they're heading for divorce, she's already on the hunt for her next catch. She's set h
Madeline's eyes flickered to Trevon standing in the doorway. Her expression froze briefly before calmly looking away, pretending she had not seen him.Her reddened cheek was briefly visible.Trevon's grip on his bag tightened.He marched over to Madeline, and after a quick scan to confirm that the swelling on her face was the only injury, he asked icily, "Madeline, just how many enemies have you made?"Madeline shot him a withering look. "Who could I possibly offend? I simply don't get along with the Gibsons, that's all."Trevon's voice grew heavier. "What's that supposed to mean?"Ignoring him, Madeline turned away, leaving Trevon to focus on Caleb.Caleb let out a weary sigh. "Someone needs to rein in Yanely's temper."Trevon's expression turned stormy at the mention of Yanely being the culprit.Her sister-in-law had been hospitalized for a while, but Yanely had not bothered to visit. When she finally showed up, it was not to offer comfort but to start a fight.The girl had
Daniel finally caught up with Trevon as they settled into the car.Stealing a cautious glance from the driver's seat at Trevon in the rearview mirror, Daniel asked, "Mr. Gibson, where to now?"Massaging the throbbing at his brow, Trevon muttered, "Back to the office."He had been worried about Madeline's health and had left the office earlier than usual despite his work piling up.Daniel kept silent, steering the car toward the office.Out of the blue, Trevon asked, "Why do you think a woman would suddenly become argumentative and difficult?"He was clearly talking about Madeline.After a brief pause, Daniel replied, "Maybe she's feeling hurt and upset."She had reasons to feel that way.The Sanders family had not been kind to her, and Trevon's mother and sister had given her a hard time. He himself had not been much better.All hell would have broken loose if it was Yanely in that situation.However, Madeline barely talked back. In the grand scheme of things, it was hardly
Yanely complained, "Why do we have to wait for her first?"Riley had a headache. How did she end up with such a foolish daughter? She explained with patience, "If Madeline is still in the hospital and you ask Caleb out on your own, he won't be happy. He might even drag you to apologize to Madeline. "Do you want to apologize to Madeline?"Yanely shook her head vigorously. Madeline came from a poor family, it was done, and there was no way Yanely would apologize."So, Mom, what are you going to do about Madeline?"Riley just smiled. "Don't you worry about that."Yanely sulked. "Come on, don't be mad. It doesn't suit a young lady to lose her temper."Riley pulled out a card from her wallet and offered it to her. "It's loaded with seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, go have fun shopping."Yanely's eyes sparkled, and she reached out eagerly. Riley quickly pulled it back, cautioning, "Stay under the radar. If the old lady hears about this, it won't be good for either of us."Ya
"Mom, what brings you here?"Madeline rose from the bed, her body protesting the early hour, and perched on the edge, not quite ready to stand. Riley, clad in a pristine pink trench coat and sharp white heels, exuded an air of elegance. She gave Madeline a once-over and, seeing her upright, said, "Well, since you're up, it's time to check out and head home."Madeline blinked in surprise. "Mom, is there a reason you want me discharged?"Riley eyed her with a hint of suspicion. "Would you stay in the hospital if nothing was wrong?""Look around. Which daughter-in-law is constantly ill and always in and out of the hospital? It's bad luck."Madeline thought, since when is getting medical help a sign of bad luck? However, she knew better than to argue with Riley. That would only invite a never-ending lecture on how a daughter-in-law should behave.She bowed her head and replied gently, "Got it. I'll talk to the doctor. If I can leave today, I will."Yet, Caleb had just told her yeste
Trevon was immediately filled with regret. He had promised himself he would not get into another fight with her. Why could he not just hold back?Madeline's hands were balled into fists so tight that her nails were cutting into her flesh, but she did not even wince at the pain."Mr. Gibson, you had really bent over backward for Lydia. I value my own well-being too much. Maybe we should just get a divorce now?" He had just said it in a fit of anger, but was she actually taking him seriously?Trevon's brows knitted together in frustration. "That's not what I was trying to say."Madeline shrugged it off. "Whatever your intentions are, they don't interest me."She handed Trevon the hospital bill. "Just take it out of the 1.5 million dollars from the divorce settlement."Trevon examined the bill, his expression changing as he understood what it was. Looking up, he said, "You checked out because of the bill? The Gibson family can easily cover that. Stay a few more days, rest up properl