"Jadie, this is the last straw. You're not a kid anymore, stop being so childish!" Zach warned Jadie, his voice shaking.Jadie nuzzled her face into Zach's chest, his clothes soaking wet from her tears."We've been joined at the hip since we first met. You promised that you'd never leave me. Zach...can you promise me that you'll never fall in love with someone else? If you do, I'll be alone..."Zach and Jadie had been friends since they met at the orphanage. Only the two of them could understand the hurdles they had gone through together.However, Zach was a greedy man, and nothing could ever be enough to quench his thirst for power and status.'If only I'd thought of having the Jent family in the first place, then I would have Yvonne by now...This power battle between the Young and Jent families is way too tempting, how could I say no?'Perhaps there might be others who aren't swayed by the temptation of money, but one thing's for sure, no one would ever refuse power. Once I hav
It is human nature for people to change.Zach's expression hardened as he thought, 'Madelyn has definitely changed. She's changed from an arrogant snob into a daring and outspoken woman.'Zach quickly let go of Madelyn, "Confidence is a good thing... but don't you forget Madelyn. You're a Jent! Do you even know what your family did behind my back and how many lives they are held accountable for?'"Trafficked people and sold them off to be prostitutes and to have their organs traded and sold.' Zach's expression hardened.'Let's see how long she can keep up the act.'"Did you think you were invincible just because Ethan Arnold is around? Don't you know? You're just another one of his toys. Did you really think you were going to be his wife? Don't be such a fool!"Come back inside once you've come to your senses."Madelyn was taken aback; she would never think to have any connection with Ethan. The hallway's light switched off as Zach left, Madelyn stood there in the darkness alone
Forrest silently sat beside Madelyn as he puffed away on his cigarettes. It was not long before Madelyn could not stand the smell, so she got up and left.By the time she reached home, it was almost one in the morning. The living room was dark.As soon as she walked into their room, Jadie tossed and turned. Madelyn wondered whether she was still awake, or whether she had woken Jadie up.Madelyn quickly climbed on to her bed and switched off her bedside lamp. She closed her eyes and pondered, 'Perhaps what Zach said was right...'Madelyn tossed and turned the entire night, kept awake by her thoughts.At half past six the next morning, Jadie was already awake. She walked into the living room and stared at the person sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper. She stood dumbstruck for a moment before making a beeline to the dining table.As a habit, Jadie would always greet everyone with a "good morning". However, today felt a bit different.At this time, Rosario came out of the kit
[I pose no threat to you. After much reflection, it's evident that since we can't get along, it's best for me to leave. Please let Rosario know she needn't worry; I'll take care of myself.Regards,Madelyn]Zach's expression soured as he quietly muttered to himself, 'That fool.'He had made a call earlier, but it was cut off after just a few rings – a clear sign that Madelyn had blocked his number. Inside, his frustration boiled over, 'Madelyn Jent, how dare you!'Jadie, looking worried, came up to Zach on the balcony. "Zach, did you find anything?"Zach slipped his phone into his pocket without saying anything. He turned around and walked away, saying, "Let's go. I'll take you to school.""But it's still early," Jadie said.She wanted to finish her breakfast. But with Zach's visible anger, she chose silence. She grabbed her backpack and followed him out of the apartment.The traffic flowed smoothly, and in just fifteen brisk minutes, they arrived at the school.Zach's mood w
In Class Six, some of the students whispered, "Wow, she's trying to wake Forrest up. Is she out of her mind?""Get your popcorn ready! Forrest is gonna show her who's boss for messing with his sleep!"Whenever Forrest was taking a snooze in class, nobody would even think about bugging him. His classmates would talk so quiet, it was like they were sharing secrets.Usually, Forrest would just skip class or take a leisurely walk outside in the afternoon. But to everyone's shock, he was actually the first person to step into the classroom today."Hey, Forrest? Forrest!" Madelyn was, like, gently tapping his shoulder and saying his name, like, a bunch of times.Right when that was happening, Jadie and Serena had just rolled back in from lunch."Madelyn? What brings you here?" asked Jadie.She then glanced over at Forrest, who was still sleeping over the desk. "You're here for Forrest? He seems a bit under the weather. What do you need from him?"'He's sick?' Madelyn pursed her lips
Jadie smiled and said, "Sure!"Timothy was only kidding. His grades were so poor so that even his family had pretty much given up on him excelling. His dad was even thinking of enrolling him in the military after he finished school. His dad went so far as to shave off Timothy's hair.Timothy took the notes from Jadie and looked through them. The notes were super detailed. He was just saying that to make Jadie feel good. He didn't really plan to read them. But since she worked hard on them, he didn't want to waste her effort.The evening classes in Class One were like study time without a teacher.Madelyn had been sick before and missed a lot of these classes. Now, she had to catch up.It had only been a few days, and there were already a bunch of practice tests. They had questions from the books on one side and harder questions on the other.As Madelyn did the practice tests, something felt different. She heard Yvonne and another girl talking as they came back from the restroom.
Another notebook was buried beneath, one that Forrest had copied Madelyn's notes into.Madelyn tilted her head and looked at his handwriting in the notebook. She had thought his handwriting would be messy, but it turned out to be neater than hers.In fact, this notebook was meant for him, as Madelyn didn't expect him to copy it down.She thought to herself, 'Well, copying it might actually help him remember better.'Madelyn woke him up; if he went back to sleep, the school gates would be locked.After a while, she remembered that he was sick.Madelyn noticed a pink thermos and some medicine at the upper right corner of his desk.She called his name several times, but he didn't respond until she reached out and lightly touched his forehead through his bangs to check his temperature.'It's really hot!'In the next second, Forrest, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes. Madelyn met his gaze calmly, and they locked eyes for a few seconds.The atmosphere felt strangely s
Across the street, near the school entrance, a black Audi was parked. Yvonne sat in the passenger seat, feeling angry as she watched what was happening."I can't believe Madelyn would do this behind Ethan's back. She's befriending that bastard! I need to so something..."Yvonne snapped some photos with her phone, thinking to use them as evidence."They're leaving. Drive after them, Mr. Jardin. I want to see what else they're up to!"Zach found it hard to refuse Yvonne's requests, maybe because of his own thoughts about Madelyn. He slowly followed Forrest and Madelyn.But when they turned into a narrow alley, the car couldn't go through.Yvonne exclaimed in frustration, "My brother treats her so well. How could she be with Forrest? No wonder she defended him last time; they must have a thing!"She added, "Mr. Jardin, she's your sister. She's dating someone while still in high school. Shouldn't you do something?"The moment she looked at Zach, she felt an unsettling aura from him