Cecilia's eyes narrowed, "I'll give you three more days at most."The person gritted their teeth and said with determination, "Okay, Ms. Samford."'Madelyn, you better stay hidden this time and never show your face again. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to end you. Everyone who backs you up this time will meet the same fate as those who supported you in the previous life. They'll all drop like flies because of you.'After Cecilia wrapped up things at the company, she headed to the hospital. The whole twentieth floor was reserved. In the monitored ward, with bodyguards at every turn, a nurse had just finished administering medicine to the man lying unconscious on the bed. She then walked out with the discarded medical supplies and happened to meet Cecilia, who was walking to the ward. "Ms. Samford."Seeing the tray in her hands, Cecilia frowned, "Thanks for all your hard work. How's Zach's condition?"The nurse looked young, and Cecilia had not seen her before. She checked out the nurs
Laughter echoed through the ward. Cecilia said, "Madelyn is truly useless. She's gotten a second chance at life. She wanted to change, but what did she manage to change? The Jent family fell, Hayson died, you're by my side, and Jardin Corporation remains mine. As long as I find the will you left for Madelyn, I'll nip it in the bud before you wake up. Even in this lifetime, I'll ensure you two can never be together again."Cecilia leaned in, whispering slowly into Zach's ear, "This is payback for what you owed me in the past life."For some reason, Blake's eyelid suddenly twitched when she pushed the shopping cart. A sudden rush of anxiety filled her heart, giving her a bad feeling. She rarely experienced this kind of foreboding. Whenever she did, it usually meant something unfavorable was about to happen.Blake spent a calm evening with Kevin, which was rare. She bought a bunch of ingredients, planning to make a candlelit dinner that night. She even opened a bottle of Kevin's stored
Blake immediately stood up, almost getting angry at his blunt approach. "Are you stupid? Can't you have a bit of tact? I just wanted you to compliment me by saying, 'You look beautiful tonight.' Why's that so hard for you to get?"Blake gestured with both hands from her waist down to her hip area. "Am I not sexy? Don't I look good?"Watching her frustrated expression, Kevin said calmly, "I don't know if you're considered good-looking now. Since the dinner is ready, let's eat." After finishing, Kevin, who wore sleepwear and lacked any romantic flair, stood up and left the study.Only a few tube lights were on in the dim living room, creating a romantic atmosphere. The rose petals were scattered around the dining table. Whether a man or a woman, no one could remain indifferent in this kind of setting. However, Kevin was unromantic.Blake looked at Kevin as he turned on the lights. He said, "How can we eat with the lights off? You can't see anything!"Blake scowled and turned off the
The inability to vent, tormenting to the point of driving Kevin insane.He had encountered various women. After all, the transactions were either about money or women in the business-oriented world. He had witnessed some debauched situations, but over the years, he never got involved with those women, especially the attractive ones. He believed the more attractive a woman with no background, the more likely she would become a bargaining chip eventually. He never got involved with those who had multiple sexual partners."Blake, I'm warning you for the last time. Stop this!"Blake picked up the red wine from the dining table, drank more than half a glass, then passed it to him from her mouth, "It's such an expensive wine. It'll be a waste if you don't drink with me."After saying that, she poured a little more and pretended to spill it on his neck accidentally. "Look, why am I so clumsy? I accidentally spilled the wine here. Shall I help you lick it clean?"Blake sat against his ere
Blake woke up sore all over. Last night was her first time after all, and she was not quite used to it yet. She found herself in a new set of pajamas, with Kevin who had been beside her already gone. As she heard noises outside the room, she stopped stretching. Noticing a tube of ointment on the bedside table, Blake picked it up and read the label. It was for reducing swelling and relieving pain.She thought to herself, 'This time, he's been considerate.'Kevin was busy with something outside. Thinking of his injuries, Blake put on her shoes and got out of bed. She walked over and opened the door. The mess on the dining table in the living room had been cleaned up. Upon seeing Kevin sweeping the floor, Blake approached quietly and hugged him from behind. "Good morning, darling!"Kevin replied, "There's soup in the pot. Go drink it now."Hearing the unnaturalness in his tone, Blake knew he must be feeling shy. She could even see the redness behind his ears. Their scents were the sam
"How long is that? Your reply clearly shows that you don't want to be responsible for me," Blake pressed, her frustration over Kevin's vagueness evident.Kevin looked at Blake with an unreadable gaze, as if observing a complaining woman. "What do you want, then?""I just want a timeframe from you," Blake insisted. "Even if it's three years, or five, I'll wait for your return. It's not the length of the wait that scares me, but the uncertainty of not knowing when, or if, you'll come back.""Let's not discuss these pointless matters. Finish your soup," Kevin said, picking up the laundry basket and heading to the master bedroom's bathroom to load the washing machine.Undeterred, Blake followed him into the bathroom. She waited until he finished with the clothes, then pushed him against the wall, standing on her tiptoes to confront the taller Kevin."Don't think running away will solve anything. You can leave me, but you have two choices. Either we get married now or have a child with
At that moment, Kevin and Blake remembered the soup in the kitchen. Kevin, still naked, carried Blake in a deep embrace, eliciting a startled moan from her as they made their way to the kitchen. The soup in the pot had boiled over when they turned it off, creating a mess.After their final round, Blake lay in bed for about an hour before waking up. They went downstairs for dinner. She took him to a steakhouse in a mall across their neighborhood. A hearty and comforting meal was perfect for this winter season. The food was still steaming hot when served."I've already talked to my aunt about us. She wants to meet you. When will you come with me to see her? She'll definitely like you because you're tall and handsome. But you have to be nice to me in front of her."Since Kevin had injuries, he could not eat fatty food, so Blake ordered some light and comforting dishes. Not knowing his preferences, she avoided ordering foods she disliked and opted for more standard meats and vegetables.
After dinner, Blake was deep in thought about Kevin's past. 'The basement, the rats... What exactly had he been through?'As the sun set and the streetlights flickered on, Kevin's phone rang from his coat pocket. He answered without hesitation, "What's the matter? Speak."Blake overheard the urgent voice on the other end. "Kevin, it's bad. A group of unknown people found our hideout and the police have us surrounded. I'm hiding in a secret room, but they'll soon arrest our people and take all the documents."Kevin's frown deepened, his voice cold and reproachful. "I told you to destroy those documents. Why didn't you listen?""It's my fault. I didn't warn them in time. And some, blinded by greed, wanted to profit from this situation. I'm hanging up. The police are closing in."After the call ended, Kevin immediately accessed a backend system and deleted all the data.Seeing Kevin's troubled expression, Blake asked worriedly, "What happened? What's with the police? Are you in trou
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