Blake's worries about her job had vanished. She realized that working elsewhere could be equally satisfying, and the relentless stress at Jardin Corporation was simply not worth it.In the past, Blake spent her workdays casually scrolling through her phone, but Cecilia's return had changed everything, infusing her work life with unending tension.Blake felt misled by Kevin's empty promises of an important role alongside Cecilia. For days, Kevin had left Blake in suspense, never responding to her messages. And now, having exploited her, he had even blocked her number.At her desk, Blake maintained a cheerful facade, her eyes on her phone screen. Her colleagues, not fully understanding her situation, voiced their envy tinged with sarcasm."Blake, you have it easy here. Aside from tolerating Ms. Stamford, you hardly have to lift a finger.""Yeah, Blake, are you actually considering quitting? Jardin Corporation is a goldmine. You won't find another company like this.""Of course she'
As Blake muttered under her breath, the man nearby turned his gaze toward her. Caught off-guard, Blake felt a rare flush of shyness color her cheeks, a contrast to her usual confident demeanor.The tall handsome striking man approached Blake and caught her attention. Among all the blind dates she had met so far, he was by far the most attractive."Are you... Blake?" the man inquired gently.Blake masked her surprise with a composed smile and replied, "Yes, that's me. And you're the person my mother mentioned?"The man nodded affirmatively. "Let's head inside. It's chilly out here."Blake agreed and followed him inside, taking a seat by the window. For a moment, they sat in silence and Blake noticed the man's discomfort as he touched his neck. She initiated the conversation, "I'm Blake. Nice to meet you.""Liam Xander," he introduced himself.Blake pondered, 'He seems socially anxious. But how reliable is he?'After they ordered their meals, Blake continued, "Have you been waiti
When Blake was in middle school, Liam's novel, At the Horizon's End, had been all the rage. Information about him was scarce, mostly a few interviews on his website. It had been his debut sensation.The book had exploded in popularity, amassing over a million subscribers in weekly magazines when it reached a hundred thousand words, soon followed by a comic adaptation.Liam's novel had been a part of Blake's adolescence, a phenomenon that swept her school. Now, sitting across from her was the author she had idolized as a teenager, and he was her blind date!Blake felt like she was dreaming. She discreetly pinched herself under the table, confirming this was reality.Blake burst with excitement and slid into the seat next to Liam. She whispered, "Liam, can I have your autograph? I promise to keep your secret."Liam, a bit taken aback by Blake's closeness but not uncomfortable, replied, "Sure, I'll sign something for you next time.""No need to wait, how about now?" Blake suggested.
Blake kept the conversation lively throughout the meals with Liam. She thought Liam would be annoyed by her chattiness, but he answered her every query patiently, unlike Kevin, who would often interrupt her mid-sentence."Finished with your meal, Liam?""Yes, I'm done.""It's still early. How about a movie? I heard there's a great sci-fi movie playing. Are you interested?""Sounds good to me."When it was time to pay, Liam promptly took care of the bill."You know, you could try digital payment next time. It's super convenient," Blake suggested."I haven't really gotten the hang of it yet," Liam admitted.Blake smiled slightly, "Okay, you've got this one, but it's my treat next time. Don't turn down my invite, okay?""I won't. If you call, I'll be there," said Liam.Blake felt awkward and looked down at the slushy ground. She asked, "Won't going to a movie delay your writing? You mentioned you're updating your novel tonight.""I'm taking a day off for this date," Liam said a
After a two-and-a-half-hour movie, Blake and Liam ended up in a packed elevator. Blake winced as someone accidentally stepped on her foot. Liam quickly guided her to a less crowded spot, asking, "You okay?""Yeah, I'm fine.""Hang in there, just a little longer.""Okay." Blake found solace behind Liam, their hands finding each other's. She glanced up at him, her heart fluttering.When they finally reached the ground floor, Liam did not let go of her hand, his brow furrowed slightly. Blake had noticed him closing his eyes now and then during the movie."Is everything alright? You don't look too good," Blake expressed her concern.Liam looked a bit worn out, and shook his head, "I'm okay. Let me take you home."Blake recalled a text from her mom and asked, "Is it your headache again?"Liam's pained expression reminded Blake of a weary golden retriever, endearing yet pitiful. He gave a weak smile and said, "Just need to take my medicine back at home.""I can't let you suffer like
"There." Liam took his hand out from his pocket and pointed in a direction, toward a high-end residential area."Wow, you're quite wealthy. Let's go... The monthly rent for staying here must be quite expensive."Blake happily chatted with Liam and watched a movie with him. They were like friends who had known each other for a long time. Blake noticed that he did not like to talk much.Liam responded, "Nah, it's not that expensive."Blake said, "Your job's pretty nice. You stay at home every day writing novels. You don't need to network or deal with angry bosses. You know, the people around me are a bunch of monsters."Liam looked away from the road to stare at Blake, "If you're not happy at work, you should quit."Blake chuckled and looked at him, "I'm not like you. I don't earn hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions in a month. Besides, if I don't work, who'll support me? I don't want to burden my aunt."Liam responded, "I have money. I'll support you."Upon hearing
The car started moving. Blake felt highly uneasy. When she got into the car just now, she could immediately sense a pressure that made her feel suffocated and unable to speak. She anxiously lowered her head and did not dare to speak.She thought, 'Until I officially leave the Jardin Corporation, I'm still their employee.'Blake then recalled the disdainful look she gave Kevin earlier and pondered, 'Honestly, no one's as petty as he is. If someone says or does something he doesn't like, he'll react strongly and just bully them.'Is he here for revenge?'The atmosphere remained tense. Blake felt very uncomfortable in this strange silence. After a while, she smelled a mint fragrance which temporarily eased her nerves.She noticed a bottle of air freshener placed under the windshield. Her eyes lit up immediately, "Oh, Mr. Harrison, you're using this cologne too? I recommended this to you last time. This product smells great, doesn't it?"The car stopped at the red light. Kevin remain
Blake continued to say, "The annual salary of the design department's head isn't even as much as Xander's monthly income from his novel."Kevin said, "Enough!" He suddenly yelled sternly.Blake was frightened and immediately kept quiet. She did not take it personally as she was used to being scolded.Their brief conversation ended.She shrugged and chose to quietly use her phone.Upon reaching Blake's residential area, Blake, who was engrossed in the recently updated novel, took out some money from her wallet and put it down, "Thank you for driving me back! Consider this money as the fare."After she left the money, she continued to pay full attention to her phone. She opened the car door and left."Blake Dion!"Kevin suddenly called her. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and seemed to be contemplating something.Blake turned around to look at him, "Yes?"Kevin rolled down the car window and said, "Be my girlfriend."Blake was surprised.She froze and her pupils gradual
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