Hayden composed the entire song himself to present it to Gwyneth as a gift. The lyrics and his deep voice made it appear especially sentimental.Naturally, even as Liam stood with Gwyneth and stared at Hayden on stage, his glare was utterly hostile. He would have the man thrown out unceremoniously, but he did not want Gwyenth's birthday to get unpleasant.Everyone applauded after Hayden was finished, but he did not seem to care—his eyes had only ever been locked on Gwyneth below the stage. He made no effort to hide his affection, and once the lights were back, he got off stage and walked up to her. "How did you like my birthday present?"Gwnyeth naturally nodded—she could not dislike a gift that took dedication.Still, she smiled mischievously as she held his expectant gaze, teasing, "Professionally speaking, the tune is perfect, but the lyrics fall short."No one would ever dare criticize Hayden's musical talent to his face, though he was not upset and smiling instead—it was li
Hayden asked Elizabeth, "What happened? Are you alright?"Elizabeth was actually seething that she was dragged away but stayed silent when she saw the icy glare in Hayden's eyes. He then leaned in to whisper icily into her ear, "Being funny, are we? Did you really think that you're my fiancee?"He was clearly accusing Elizabeth of causing trouble for him and not staying in line!Callie was not about to let it go either—she was hurt because Elizabeth had to knock into her!Biting her lip, she spotted Liam nearby and strode up to him through the crowd, acting as if she never saw Gwyneth as she complained with a wounded tone, "I'm a guest here, Liam. Are you letting this go? Don't I have rights?"She got obviously agitated the more she spoke, even tugging on his sleeve. "You have to stand up for me, right, Liam?"Liam's eyes flashed in annoyance and pulled his shirt out of her grasp.However, even if Callie was clearly trying to make a mess, he had to do something anyway.Still,
Callie was not about to give up—how could she?! She was knocked to the floor and bleeding, not to mention that Liam had her back since he invited her here.It was a rare opportunity to strut—holding back would be a waste!Her knuckles were clenched, and she was ready to fight back, only to stay silent when she saw the icy glare in Gwyneth's eyes. She ultimately left the banquet hall despite her reluctance.And once she was gone, things returned to normal, although there was noticeably less cheer. As such, the banquet ended within a few hours, despite plans to have it last until morning.Liam told Larry and Wanda to help see off the guests and assist with payment while he looked everywhere for Gwyneth.He eventually found her at the lounge and hurried to her side. "What's wrong? Are you tired?"He paused when he saw the look on her face—it looked no different than usual, but he knew all too well that she was upset. And he was right—as a matter of fact, Gwyneth was upset with
Hayden's words were simple, but Elizabeth felt like she fell into an icy abyss.She had never hoped for anything from Hayden, but she still could not take being treated like she was worthless.She bit her lip and turned to look outside, while silence loomed in the car for the rest of their journey.…Back at the banquet hall, Liam was left standing at the door, not quite able to believe Gwyneth really just bailed on him.He felt absolutely frustrated, but there was no way for him to vent either—he gritted his teeth even as his head seemed to blank out and eventually whipped out his phone.He called Gwyneth three times, and she hung up on him every time.Absolutely furious at that point, he called Henry, who left the banquet earlier."What's up?""We're going clubbing," Liam growled with seething rage.Henry chuckled tactlessly—it was the standard operating procedure for the man after having a fight with the missus.Still, he turned around and picked Liam up before going stra
At that moment, Callie remembered that Liam was at the club and the photos that showed her going there.As such, she became expectant instead of panicking and texted the paparazzi back: [Leak it all you want! Don't think you can threaten me—I'm not intimidated! Hell, you're a bitch if you don't leak it!]With that, she stored it into the nightclub without hesitation. …After leaving the banquet hall, Gwyneth was planning to head home but felt repulsed by the idea of having to confront Liam again.As such, she told the cabbie to take her to Aubrey's place while she rested her eyes.The cabbie was going to chat with her a little, since he was perceptive enough to tell that she just had an argument with her boyfriend. Still, he rubbed his nose and kept quiet as he saw her closing her eyes from the rearview mirror.Gwyneth alighted when they arrived at Aubrey's mansion. She was about to pay up when she realized she left in too much of a hurry—she did not have her phone or wallet on
Elizabeth accepted the offer and sat opposite Gwyneth.Aubrey remained in the main seat, keeping her legs crossed above the chair, showing none of her upbringing as an heiress.She was a little puzzled when Gwyneth invited Elizabeth—she would not miss the food portion, but Elizabeth's drastic change in personality was unsettling.After all, she knew too well what Elizabeth did to Gwyneth before. But considering that Gwyneth was not holding it against her, Aubrey had no reason to speak up.Gwyneth appeared more spirited after having the seafood soup—having food was truly blissful, after all.And now that she was in a better mood, her mischievous tendencies returned as well."Baby, could you not be so stingy? I said supper, and it's just soup?""You really cut me to the quick, girl. You haven't eaten anything—you'd be killing your stomach if you start boozing."Gwyneth smiled as Aubrey reverted to her usual snappy attitude, feeling warm inside. Over the years, she would come to
Gwyneth chugged her glass, watching the two women before her before thinking about herself.She slowly smiled and giggled—it appeared that getting upset over relationship issues was inevitable no matter who it was.Meanwhile, the bottle of red wine was getting emptier, while their visions blurred and their speech turned unintelligible. They moved from the dining table to the drawing room carpet and were out like a light before they could open another bottle.To be precise, only Gwyneth and Aubrey were unconscious—Elizabeth still retained some extent of awareness.She opened her eyes to look around before smiling smugly. After all, it seemed that she was more successful with winning Gwyneth's trust than she thought.…The next morning, things were getting lively online while the three women were still asleep.The paparazzo who blackmailed Callie certainly did not flinch from Callie's goading and waited until peak internet traffic hours to post every photo he had of her at the
After Gwyneth acquired the company from Craig Baker, she only met the executives once when she took the post of CEO on the first day before delegating everything to Skye.This made it the second time she met them, and the vibes were certainly different considering her bearing.Nonetheless, everyone was staring at their shoes after Gwyneth asked her question, though not quite from guilt, since Gwyneth was just that menacing even without going ballistic.As none of them were meeting her eyes, Gwyneth's eyes flashed coldly since this reaction was expected.It seemed that she was in for a battle of attrition."Very well," she said. "If that's how everyone wants to do this, let's consider the possibilities one-by-one."She glanced at Skye, who nodded and presented the leaked blueprints, explaining, "I'm sure everyone is aware how important this project is to reinvigorate the company and that we have to be prudent every step of the way…" As Skye presented everything on the screen—fro
The wedding was set for early August, with one ceremony abroad and one in the country.Although Liam had proposed just before they tried her bridal gown, he still had plenty of romantic tricks up his sleeves. Even today, articles about them were still trending, just as he came true on his promise that everyone would learn that Gwyneth was his wife.It was a wedding like no other, and to avoid unnecessary issues, only close friends and employees from their respective companies were invited.For once, Liam's family was in full attendance, while no one from Gwyneth's family was present…-Glen Villa was in utter chaos as Bianca hurled insults at Gaspard, her usual gentle demeanor replaced by savagery. "See?! What did I tell you?! Gwyneth is an ingrate, and it's only now that you realize—you're her father, but you're not even invited to her wedding! What do you even amount to, Gaspard?!"Even as she ranted, she rushed up to beat him up.Furious, he shoved her away. "Stay away fr
Anyone would be melting from the charm of Harley's puppylike affection.Sadly for him, Gwyneth was not just anyone—she remained unaffected, and once he finished, she growled coldly, "I hope you'll remember that Liam is the only one for me."Harley felt a pang of pain over his chest and growled through his teeth, "If only I came to you earlier—""It still wouldn't be you," she said, looking him in the eye, each line more brutal than the next.And with those words, she refused to look his way as he returned to Liam.She thought that Henry had put together the banquet since his wedding with Aubrey was coming soon. Now, however, it seemed that Henry only wanted to set up a meeting between Harley and her.Feeling weary inside, she leaned against Liam's chest and breathed, "I want a trip abroad to relax, Liam.""Abroad?" Liam had just that in mind, though he had planned that further in the future and for a different purpose.Her mentioning it herself unquestionably suited him. Gent
Gwyneth's attention, however, was constrained to the first part—bewitched in college?! Hell, she would have no idea Harley existed if not for Henry, let alone that he was Henry's cousin.And what did he have to do with her anyway?Shooting Liam a grumpy glare, she huffed, "Don't try to blame me for everything. I don't even remember what he looks like.""Really?" Liam asked, deliberately provoking her. In reality, he was initially upset after seeing the text, but Gwyneth's reaction delighted him to the last.Smiling, he asked, "So you're saying that I'm the only one in your heart?"In that case, why waste time?Also, Henry really had the gall to ask his woman to console his cousin!Sneering, he picked up Gwyneth's phone and called Henry, who urgently cried from the other end, "Did you see my text, Gwyneth? I really have no choice here… Harley's drunk, and he's been calling your name since yesterday. When he woke up just now, he—""So what?" Liam growled, cutting him short. "Yo
Liam Luther?! How could it be him?!Harley was left in disbelief. He was Henry's cousin, and even if they grew up in different places, he knew that Henry and Liam were friends for life.However, rumor had it that Liam had long since gotten married and loved his wife dearly. Could it be…Harley shelved the thought that occurred just then. Whatever the relationship was between Liam and Gwyneth or how reliant she was on Liam, the only thing Harley knew for sure was that he loved Gwyneth.His knuckles clenched at his sides for a long while as his eye flared once more. Without hesitation, he strode forward, cutting off Liam with his trademark sunny smile. "Greetings, Mr. Luther. I'm Harley Munroe, Henry's cousin. He spoke of you a while ago, so it's an honor to meet you today."Even as he spoke, his eyes never left Gwyneth, but he remained antsy even though he braced himself inwardly."Also, I'm wondering what's the connection here—""I want to go home, Liam," Gwyneth murmured before
After a restful night, Gwyneth returned to Greer College to meet up with Willa… Willa, for one, had placed high value on their meeting, to the point where she had postponed a class just so that they could discuss things without any interruption. Stirring her coffee, Willa chuckled as she muttered, “So, before moving on, let me apologize if I came off as snobbish the first time we met… I just have high standards since I want my work to be loved by many, you know? With that out of the way, let’s talk about the collaboration… I admit I like the plot, but… There are several conditions that you need to think about before we can proceed.” Nodding in response, Gwyneth found herself surprised that her demands weren’t outrageous at all. In fact, Gwyneth would’ve followed those principles even if Willa hadn’t brought them up! Though this was nothing to Gwyneth, it meant the world to Willa. After all, it was hard to find someone so honest these days, and she was rather grateful that she h
After putting some distance between them, Aubrey couldn’t help but ask, “…Are you sure she’ll agree…? If you need help, I do know a few scriptwriters that could easily replace Willa…” Sure, she had faith in her friend, but Aubrey seemed like a tough nut to crack… It didn’t help that there were so many other competent screenwriters out there to compete with! To her dismay, Gwyneth simply grinned and replied, “Don’t worry, I have a feeling that she’ll soon see things the way I do…” Just as Aubrey was about to sigh in defeat, a young man suddenly ran up to them and said, “Well hey there, ladies… Where to?” It was clear that he had his eyes on Gwyneth, and following a smirk, Aubrey replied, “Kid, you’re years too early to try hitting on us…” Sheepishly scratching the back of his head, the man muttered, “I mean, can I at least have your number…?” Naturally, Gwyneth wasn’t about to humor this person, especially since he was already starting to annoy her. With that, she simply sho
With that in mind, Gwyneth made her way to the author’s home… Twice, in fact. Both times, she was fully sincere with her persuasions… and with how determined she was, the author finally gave in and agreed to meet up. Pleased to hear that, she agreed and headed straight to Greer College straight after. If she wanted this to work, then she would need a professional screenwriter who shared her perspective on the job… Naturally, Gwyneth already had someone in mind. Willa Robson. With that, she quickly gave the college’s principal to ask for his permission to sit in on a class, and he agreed to her idea almost instantaneously. After all, it was an honor for someone of Gwyneth’s stature to ask for someone from his college! It was around then when Aubrey learned about what Gwyneth was doing… and frankly, she had a hard time processing things. After all, to think that her friend was taking all this so seriously! This was the same woman who used to only turn the television on to catch up
After leaving the villa, Gwyneth bolted straight for Director Motley’s house… and when she arrived, she realized that the family doctor was there as well. The doctor had met repeated failures whenever it came to scheduling a meeting with Gwyneth… But even though this was his chance to finally have a proper talk with her, he refrained. After all, he had already figured out that she was a woman who preferred keeping to herself, and since that was the case, he didn’t need to pry… Regardless, the two quickly began having a lengthy conversation regarding Director Motley’s health concerns, with the director occasionally contributing to the conversation when needed. Following that, Gwyneth began giving numerous helpful recommendations which eventually made Director Motley tear up a little. Shaking his head with a sigh of relief, the director muttered, “I really appreciate your help… Really, you’ve extended my life by quite a bit by just sharing all this…” “Hey, you’re going to make it
Having made up his mind, James began to find a way to apologize to Gwyneth.It turned out she had found a diretor she wanted for Moon Runners, but it was a newcomer who had only recently debuted and caused a tiny stir.James' expression contorted when he stumbled on the news.He had led countless film crews in winning innumerable accolades, but Gwyneth preferred some newbie over his illustrious achievements?! The woman was clearly blind!While he was certainly filled with ill will and was intent on seeing what Gwyneth could do with some novice director, he still had no choice but to apologize to her for the sake of his own future.However, Gwyneth had already anticipated his move—as soon as he called, she signaled for Wanda to put her on a YouTube livestream session.Oblivious to the fact, James repressed the humiliation he felt of begging mercy from a younger person and flashed a false smile. "Ms. Glen, I apologize for being blind and insulting you before… but I heard that you'r