Madelyn felt that there was more to the bracelet's story than Zach had revealed. In her previous life, she had never seen such a jade bracelet on Cecilia, Jadie, or any other woman.The bracelet appeared old, with noticeable imperfections. Coupled with Zach's decision to keep it for so many years, this suggested it had special significance to him.Madelyn began to question her understanding of Zach. She remembered him as a businessman focused on profit, not one to dwell on the past. She just realized there were still secrets about him that she had yet to uncover.Upon arriving at the banquet venue, Zach's usual suit and air of superiority were evident. His charm had always captivated women, a trait that had not changed since his youth.Zach turned to Madelyn and said, "You'll be fine, Mrs. Jardin."Each time Zach called her "Mrs. Jardin", Madelyn felt a strange emotion. She met his gaze briefly before looking away.As they entered the bustling banquet hall, it suddenly quieted. M
Madelyn, holding the plate of peeled grapes, stood up and approached the woman who had earlier commented. The crowd watched in surprise as Madelyn, unperturbed, placed the plate on the table. She said gracefully, "I'm on a diet and can't finish these alone. Please, consider this a gift from him, and I hope you enjoy them."The woman, who had been joking, was taken aback and stammered, "N-n-no... Mrs. Jardin, I was just joking."Kevin frowned as he observed from a distance, curious about Madelyn's intentions.Madelyn reassured the woman softly, "It's okay, please share them. I'm going to wash my hands in the restroom."When another woman offered to accompany her, Madelyn declined with a polite smile, "No need, I can manage. Enjoy yourselves."At that moment, Cecilia interjected sharply, "Ms. Jent, if you're trying to humiliate someone, pick a more appropriate occasion. This is a company event, not a playground."The atmosphere tensed as Cecilia confronted Madelyn. It was common kn
After Madelyn left the banquet hall with Zach, she withdrew her hand from his arm. They unexpectedly came across someone in the elevator."Agustin?" Madelyn expressed surprise."Madelyn?" Agustin recognized her and then noticed Zach. "And who is this?"Zach remained silent, his expression unreadable, waiting for Madelyn's response.Madelyn did not introduce Zach but instead redirected the conversation. "Agustin, what are you doing here? Weren't you in Marisburg?""I've been dealing with some heart issues, so I came for a checkup. I'm just heading back to my hotel to rest. How about you? Are you feeling better?" Agustin inquired.Madelyn nodded, offering a smile. "Much better, thank you.""That's good to hear," Agustin replied, then presented a gift card to her. "Happy holidays. Here's a small gesture from me."Madelyn politely declined, "Agustin, I'm not a child anymore. You don't have to do this.""In my eyes, you'll always be a child. Please accept it, or I'll be offended,"
Cecilia approached Zach with evident frustration and confronted him. "Why did you humiliate me like that in front of everyone? You've never treated me like that before, Zach."Cecilia was agitated. Madelyn suggested, "I'll wait for you in the car."But Zach held Madelyn's hand firmly, indicating his decision. "For work matters, speak to Kevin. As for personal issues, there's nothing to discuss."Cecilia, however, was not deterred. Holding a contract, she thrust it at Zach. "Look at this before you decide whether to follow me or not!"Zach released Madelyn's hand to examine the document. He instructed her, "Go wait in the car."Madelyn sat in the car and she could not hear Zach and Cecilia's conversation. When she glanced back, they had already moved away.Madelyn twirled the bracelet on her wrist, contemplating. 'Cecilia always manages to surprise Zach with things I can't match. Last time it was a huge contract. This time, who knows? For businessmen, profit often outweighs person
Madelyn's eyes, which had shone with recognition, gradually lost their light as she apologized, "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."The young man, seeing Madelyn walking away, hurried after her on his motorcycle. "Miss, where are you going? Let me give you a ride. Or maybe I could get your number?"Madelyn meandered without direction. "I'm married. My husband would be angry if he knew about this."The young man expressed a hint of regret. "Oh, that's too bad."Madelyn offered a weak smile, observing his troubled expression. To an outsider, it might have seemed like the young man had fallen for her at first sight and was now heartbroken to learn she was married.Despite the faint smile on Madelyn's face, her eyes remained unemotional. She said, "Go home, young man. At your age, studying should be your priority."A black car stopped in front of Madelyn. The window lowered, revealing Frida, who took off her sunglasses, revealing a weary face. She said, "Get in the car!"Madely
Madelyn felt a chill run through her. It was a sensation she had not experienced since a harrowing incident five years ago when she nearly had to jump into the sea.'Zach, you're terrifying!' Madelyn thought to herself, reflecting on the DNA test report. 'It says I'm related to Zach. Is he my brother? Impossible! I can't be related to him by blood. This must be fake!'She quickly composed herself, reminding herself of her true parentage. Her biological father had died long ago, and her mother had only her for a daughter. Therefore, the DNA report was likely fabricated.Madelyn considered that Zach might be Hayson's son. However, she was puzzled about who would create such a false document. She put the report back, feeling a heavy burden on her chest, making it hard to breathe.She felt a bit better after drinking some water.Just then, a server approached with a cup of hot milk. "This is for you, please enjoy."Madelyn replied, "But I didn't order it."The server pointed to a ma
Madelyn comfortably enjoyed Zach's makeup removal service, as the esthetician used gentle techniques and applied various makeup removers on her face. She responded to his words, "It's no big deal, just some harmless words. It doesn't really bother me." She heard even more hurtful words before."Enough, I'm going to wash my face." She went to the bathroom and did so, taking a shower as well.Zach received a call from Kevin and walked to the study to answer it. Kevin reported, "There's indeed a paternity test inside, and the recording contains your conversation with Kai. Mr. Jardin, do we need to destroy these?"Zach emanated a chilling intent to kill from head to toe instantly. The last time he had felt like this was because of Yvonne. However, Zach had tried to stop acting like that for Madelyn's sake. He said coldly, "Destroy everything, and... give her a final warning. If this happens again, I'll reclaim everything I've provided to the Young family, without exception."Kevin repl
Madelyn handed Dalton to Margaret, "Take him upstairs. I'll come up in a moment."Margaret nodded hesitantly and carried Dalton upstairs. 'Oh my! What's the background of this person? He doesn't seem like a good person at all.'Madelyn returned to her seat and sensed the subtle gaze directed at her, making her uneasy. The eerie vibe spread instantly, with only Mya seemingly living in her world. She sat beside Fred, saying, "Madelyn, the food cooked at your home is the best."Madelyn actually had many things to ask Mya, but it was not convenient with him around. So, she responded, "If it's delicious, go ahead and have more. I've already asked the servants to make a few extra dishes."Fred asked, "It's such a rare occasion for me to come visit. Aren't you at least going to treat me to some good wine?"Zach gestured to a servant, who went to the wine cabinet and took out a bottle of red wine, opening it for him. After that, Zach skillfully removed the bones from the fish and placed t
Liam was standing in the rain, and though it hadn't been long, he was thoroughly drenched.Blake quickly pulled him close, her voice laced with concern. "Are you crazy? It's pouring rain! What if you catch a cold?"Liam's look was subdued, his face showing signs of fatigue. "I'm okay. This is for you; I didn't want you to have to come out in this weather."As Blake took in his forlorn appearance, her heart softened suddenly. 'Am I losing my mind?' she thought."Now you'll have to pay more attention to me, Blake... I was just so scared of losing you. I've put everything I have into getting you to agree to marry me; the idea of you walking away is unbearable."Overwhelmed with emotion, Blake locked eyes with him. "Did she teach you to say that too?" she asked, her hand moving on its own to brush away the raindrops from his hair.A maid nearby, observing the scene, rushed over with a blanket and an umbrella. However, Grace, fully grasping the gravity of the moment, halted her. Ackno
Cecilia said, "It's fine. Let's give them a week. Rearrange the flight and all the plans for the trip. This is Blake's first time getting married and going abroad for honeymoon. I want to make sure she has a good time."Susan nodded. "Okay, Ms. Samford."Not long after Cecilia left, three editors who used to work for Olivia's company entered her office. All of them spoke in panic, "Ms. Blue, what should we do? Ms. Samford already knows everything. If the legal department finds out about it, will we go to jail?"Olivia remained calm as she said, "Don't panic. Just focus on your work.""But we got into this company through you. What if they say we got into this company through the back door and then fired us?"Olivia sat at her desk, supporting her forehead with her hands. She was obviously panicking. "Don't worry, I'll handle this."You guys can leave now."Olivia did not expect this matter to be exposed so soon. She wondered how Cecilia found out about it. 'Could it be that she'
StartReading Literary was the last place Cecilia wanted to be. But she made an exception this time.Olivia had just finalized a cooperative copyright deal with another website company. Several editors from her own company were there at StartReading Literary. As she entered the office, she saw all the editors from StartReading Literary sitting upright, not daring to make a sound.She also saw her office door was wide open. She frowned as she walked into her office and was surprised to see an unexpected gust.Olivia put down the documents in her hand. "Ms. Samford, what brings you here?"With her legs crossed and Susan standing behind her, Cecilia stared at Olivia, who was in front of her.Cecilia sneered and stood up. She ran her fingers along the desk. "StartReading is actually the last place I want to be. I came here because I found out that you enjoy meddling in other people's affairs. Otherwise, you wouldn't even qualify to see me."Olivia instantly looked wary. She remained s
Liam stood up. He watched as Blake, who looked weary, walked away. "Blake, what do you want me to do so you'll like me?"Blake did not stop walking. Instead, she took even bigger steps and left.She went to the Harper residence, which surprised everyone.Grace asked, "Blake? Why did you come back here? Where's Liam? Why didn't he come back with you?"Blake stuttered, unable to find the words. She just made up an excuse, saying, "It's nothing. I just wanted to come back."After Hannah and Yael left the wedding last night, they went back to the research institute.As for Simon, he went to the farm to manage the business.After Blake went to her room, Grace became worried. She followed her and saw her sitting with a blank expression in the room, not knowing what to do.When Blake saw Grace, she quickly adjusted her mood. "Grace, why are you here?""I came to check on you. Blake, what's wrong? Did you have a fight with Liam? You just had your wedding yesterday, and you're already
The pregnancy test report came out fifteen minutes after Blake did the test. She was indeed pregnant. She was even seven weeks pregnant.Blake had indeed been involved with Kevin while in Northern Myanmar over a month ago.She held the medical report while standing bewildered in the cold hospital corridor. Lights shone through the floor-to-ceiling window onto her body, but all Blake felt was the cold, which made her hands and feet numb.She was lost in her thoughts. 'I'm really pregnant. What should I do with this baby? I want it to be born more than anyone else. But now, everything has changed. This child shouldn't come into this world.'She wandered in the corridor. Suddenly, she saw someone coming out of another gynecological room.She thought, 'Some things are just destined by fate. When I long to see him, even catching a glimpse of him in a dream feels like a luxury, an unattainable wish. But now, when I don't want to see him, it seems he appears everywhere I go.'Kevin supp
Blake wondered, 'I'm now pregnant with Kevin's child. What should I do?'She woke up groggily when she felt someone carry her. She opened her heavy eyelids and asked, "What time is it now?"Liam responded, "It's four-thirty in the morning. It's still early; go back to sleep for a while more."Blake said in a hoarse voice, "I've made an appointment for an abortion at eight o'clock. Regardless of whether I'm really pregnant or not, I don't want to keep this child."She had thought about it all night and believed this was the best decision.Kevin was going to get engaged. Blake believed he would get married and Audrey would give birth to his children. There was simply no need for her to complicate things further.She thought, 'If I choose to be selfish and decide to keep this baby, and if people find out about it, my child will be treated as an illegitimate child. I don't even dare to imagine how badly the child will be treated.'If giving birth to the baby will bring it a lifetime
Blake continued, "What about you, Liam? Do you mind?"If you do, you can choose to divorce me. After all, I've wronged you. No one wants to marry a woman who's carrying someone else's child."Liam stepped forward on the shattered cup and hugged her tightly. "I don't mind. Blake, I love you, including everything about you. I don't mind your past. I just want to start over with you. I didn't tell you about the pregnancy because I was selfish; I wanted to keep you by my side."Blake, your child is my child. I want to raise the baby with you."Don't leave me, okay?"Blake did not know why, but she was not surprised by her pregnancy. However, she felt that there were still some things that she could not let go of, though she was unsure what those were.She was not as calm as she had imagined.She thought about her past events. Then, she indifferently said, "Liam, I don't want this child. Since I'm prepared to be with you, I won't keep this child. It wouldn't be fair to you."Liam di
On this romantic night, the moon was obscured by the clouds.Breathing heavily, Blake felt some pain in her abdomen. She asked to stop. "Liam, my stomach hurts. I think I'm going to have my period soon."Liam sobered up instantly. "I'll go get you some medicine."She peeked out from under the blanket as the bedside lamp turned on. She could clearly see Liam's naked upper body. Her face flushed as she averted her gaze. "It's fine. Just help me call the front desk and ask them to bring up a pack of sanitary pads. I'll go to the bathroom to deal with it."Liam replied, "Let's go to the hospital tomorrow for a check-up."Blake picked up her clothes from the floor and went to the bathroom. "It's okay. It's probably just my period."However, judging by the blood flowing out, it did not seem like menstrual blood to Blake. It looked like something else.Blake's voice came from the bathroom again. "I think we should go to the hospital."She sat on the toilet and watched the tall, slende
Blake had no bridesmaids, so she returned to the hotel room alone. As she stepped out of the elevator and was ready to use the room key card in her hand to swipe and enter the room, she suddenly saw a figure appear from the corner of her eye.She stopped her action and looked at the person who had left the wedding earlier.At that moment, Blake felt her breath catch, but it was only fleeting. She then quickly regained her composure and averted her gaze. She asked, "Didn't you leave? Why are you still here?"Kevin replied, "Congratulations."Upon hearing his congratulations, Blake felt a mix of amusement and discomfort. "There's nothing to congratulate. If anything, I should congratulate you. You're soon to be the mayor's son-in-law. In the future, we won't belong in the same social class anymore."I'm tired and came back to rest. You should leave now before Liam comes up and sees you here."Don't look for me again. I don't want him to misunderstand."Kevin responded, "Audrey and