Madelyn put down her book and walked over to the meal. The bodyguard laid the three-layered thermos container on the table. The first layer had the walnut cake, while the second layer had a few pieces of carne frita. The third layer was a nutritious vegetable porridge.Flashbacks came to Madelyn's mind of her first meeting with Ethan. After that night when Madelyn had first found out about her health condition, she had often spent her nights alone in a small pavilion downstairs in the hospital crying.One night, Madelyn was at her usual spot, and Ethan came over. Sounding both amused and somewhat helpless, he asked her, "Why do I always see you crying?"Madelyn was glistening with tears. After the teardrops left her eyes, she saw the concern in Ethan's eyes. Ethan brushed her tears away gently. He was the gentlest person Madelyn had ever met, even though he was just a stranger.Madelyn had never thought a stranger could bring her such warmth. Since then, Ethan would visit her from
Ever since getting hurt, Jadie had moved out of school and had been resting at home.Today, Zach had a rare day off, so she had persuaded him to venture out and pay a visit to Madelyn in the hospital. Jadie felt like if she were to stay cooped up at home any longer, she would go crazy.They had not visited Madelyn often during this time; it was mostly Rosario who came by. They even had Rosario whip up a bunch of dishes to bring to the hospital. After being taken care of by Rosario for these past few months, Jadie's originally slim face had gained some baby fat.For this outing, Jadie had made an effort to dress up, choosing to leave her plain face free of makeup. Her hair was done in braided pigtails, resting on her shoulders, and she wore a light-colored knee-length skirt. Walking beside Zach, they did not look like a couple, more like an uncle and his niece. As the pair approached the hospital room, they noticed an unfamiliar face inside. Jadie almost felt like they had entered th
Madelyn felt anger building up inside her, but she had nowhere to vent. She clenched her fists and looked down, remaining silent.Jadie felt the oppressive aura in the room radiating from Zach, so she hurriedly diffused the situation with a light-hearted tone. "Zach, we've got movie tickets, remember? The show starts soon, and we don't want to be late."She shook her head subtly at Zach, urging him to leave it at that. She did not know what had transpired between Zach and Madelyn; the once smitten Madelyn had turned cold toward Zach, sometimes even responding with harsh words. A mad Zach scared even her.With an icy gaze, he ripped up Madelyn's sketch. "You just won't grow up, will you? Haven't the last three months knocked any sense into you?"Jadie quickly ushered Zach away. As they reached the door, Madelyn picked up the torn sketch from the floor. "Zach..."They stopped at the door."I just want to do what I like. Could you... stop meddling with me? I've already compromised o
Ethan, the heir to Arnold Corporation, was gradually stepping into his role, his presence growing in the media. Having been out of the public eye for years, his return caused the internet to go wild with viral speculation.After cooking for the first time, Ethan found himself intrigued by it. To his left was a platter of pastries made by Madelyn, to his right a pile of recipes bought by George. He was so engrossed in it that he reached out to grab another pastry."You've eaten them all, Mr. Ethan." George reminded him.Ethan glanced over. True enough, all that remained were crumbs."You seem to be interested in learning to cook, Mr. Ethan.""And what do you think I'm doing?"George looked surprised. "Are you learning to cook for Ms. Jent?"Ethan mused, knowing that no one would like a man who could not walk. He figured if Madelyn would enjoy his cooking, he could cook for her. For some reason, a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.'Look at what I'm doing. I'm act
Madelyn's eyes lit up with anticipation. "May I know what the surprise is?" she asked the deliverer."You'll find out when the time comes, Ms. Jent. The extra ticket allows you to bring a friend along."Holding the two tickets and an expensive bound art album signed by Edward Waltz, Madelyn was at a loss. She had no friends to invite. But then, she thought of someone suddenly, and she wondered if he would like to join her.At nine in the evening, the evening breeze stirred outside. In a hospital room on the 15th floor, Ethan was in a video conference. The door to his room was slightly ajar, sounds from outside trickling in."Ms. Jent, please wait a moment. He's in a meeting. It won't be long.""If he's busy, I won't bother him, then. George, could you please give him this ticket?"George was taken aback by the ticket, a hint of surprise accompanying his smile. Madelyn did not realize her timing was not great. Just as she was fretting over how to offer Ethan the ticket, George cou
Madelyn was discharged from the hospital two days later. A driver from the Jent residence picked her up and drove her home. As she stepped through the front door, Rosario was conspicuously absent. In her place was a new face—a woman in her fifties introduced as the new maid."Hello, Ms. Jent," the new maid greeted. Madelyn gave a nonchalant "Hm" in response, her mind elsewhere.Suddenly, the soft murmur of voices drifted from upstairs."You're so naughty.""That's because I'm taking you out shopping, to make it up to you."Jasmine, clinging onto Hayson's arm and flaunting a limited-edition handbag, descended the stairs. Seeing Madelyn, Jasmine quickly withdrew her arm."Madelyn... you're out of the hospital? I was just about to go shopping with your dad. Do you want anything?""No, thanks," Madelyn responded curtly before calling out, "Father."Hayson, however, was icy, only grunting a response to his daughter's call. As he prepared to leave, he paused to address Madelyn, his g
'I know this voice, it's Jadie.''That's right... Jadie got bullied in school. Zach would never let her stay in a place like that.'Margaret turned and saw her. "Hello, miss."Jadie stood up when she heard Margaret. "Madelyn."She flashed a big smile. "Why... aren't you in your uniform? I heard you got discharged from the hospital, so I came here to go to school with you. We'll be in the same school now, Madelyn. Look out for me, okay?"'Is this fate?'In their past life, Jadie had gotten into Ventrocloud High School as well. Madelyn had thought that everything and everyone's fate would change in this life, but she realized that everything just stayed the same, no matter what.If that were the case, would Jadie still die?Just like her...No one's fate could be changed. The ending had already been set from the beginning.Jadie noticed that Madelyn kept quiet. "Madelyn... What happened? Are you feeling unwell?"Madelyn replied, "I'm fine."Margaret said, "Miss Jent, Miss Jad
It was hard to read his expression.The prize was a knight holding a shield and spear on a horse with its hoof raised. It was a pretty heavy figurine."It might be fake. That mind of hers is probably just filled with men." Hayson tossed her report card aside.Madelyn tightened her grip on the spoon.The report card landed next to Zach's feet. He bent down, picked it up, and looked at it. Madelyn had gotten full scores for most of her subjects.If he remembered correctly, Madelyn used to score around 50% on average.If she had achieved such good results, she could choose any universities that she liked without Hayson's help. Had she really done this on her own, or had she cheated?Only Madelyn knew.Jadie took a peek and was shocked as well. Madelyn had scored higher than her in every subject. Even in Ventrocloud High School, Madelyn would be in the top three scorers in her grade with results like that.An uneasy feeling grew in Jadie's heart. She did not know when or how Madel