Madelyn sat on the bed with empty eyes like a broken doll.Zach pulled out a black shirt from the closet and tossed it onto the bed. "Take off your clothes and give them a wash. Change the dirty sheets and bed covers together."He walked to the doorway, picked up her pair of long white socks from the floor, and hung them on the back of a chair before leaving the room.Madelyn didn't stay in his room for long. She dashed into the room she had shared with Jadie. She removed her school uniform and put it in the trash bin. In the shower, she scrubbed herself vigorously, trying to wash away the feeling of his touch from her skin. Her thoughts were haunted by the disturbing scene of what he had subjected her to.Tears welled up in Madelyn's eyes as memories of that moment replayed in her thoughts. Though their physical intimacy fell short of intercourse, Zach's actions had left an everlasting mark—a terrifying experience from which she believed she would never recover.'If he had done i
Zach's car pulled up at the carpark of the mall.Madelyn followed behind Zach, thinking they were heading straight fifth floor. But he went to the first floor, the jewelry section.Zach walked up to a counter, where the salesperson seemed to know him. "Mr. Jardin, the Cartier you ordered last week has arrived. Please take a look and see if it meets your satisfaction." As she spoke, her gaze landed on Madelyn with a smile. "And is this lovely young lady your girlfriend? She would look stunning with it on."Madelyn quickly denied, "You've got it wrong, I'm his sister." She thought to herself, 'Girlfriend? Ugh, no way!'"Brother, I'll go upstairs first."Just as she took a step, Zach grabbed her wrist. He pulled out a beautifully crafted diamond necklace. "Why not give this a try?""I don't want it!" Madelyn struggled, trying to free herself from his grasp. His expression darkened. He then spoke to the salesperson, "I'm sorry, she's been in a mood lately."Madelyn thought to hersel
Madelyn thought to herself that she would pay him back that money. She did not want to owe him anything.Zach led the way with the shopping bags. Neither of them brought up the recent incident.Off to the side, Madelyn spotted a scarf she liked. It was handcrafted from silk. She checked the price tag and found it was also a thousand dollars.Zach said, "Take it if you want it."Madelyn replied, "Forget it. If Rosario knew, she'd never want to wear it." She wasn't materialistic. Although the scarf was of good quality, it wasn't necessary, so she wouldn't buy it.After a moment's thought, Madelyn did purchase two pairs of gloves. One was red, and the other was black, costing around two to three hundred dollars each, not too expensive.They didn't spend too long shopping, just about thirty minutes or so, and Madelyn was all set to go with two big shopping bags. She didn't pick out anything for herself. Well, she didn't really need anything anyway."Mr. Jardin? Madelyn?" a voice the
Madelyn was like an addictive drug for Zach. Once he kissed her, he got hooked and was not able to hold back his lust.Madelyn had been married to him for eight years in her past life. She had gotten used to his roughness, even in the most intimate moments.Unable to control himself, Zach opened the passenger door and pushed her onto the seat."Don't do this! We're in a car park, someone could come by any moment.""I'll be quick!""Are you out of your mind?" She didn't want to go through that again. Scared, she tried to move to the driver seat door, wanting to flee.Zach settled into the passenger seat and closed the door. He quickly pulled her back.Madelyn looked around and noticed the carpark was full. She got even more desperate; she was almost about to cry. She turned to Zach and said, 'Can we do it at your apartment instead? Not here, please!'Zach had already unzipped his pants impatiently. He yanked down Madelyn's black leggings, adjusted his position, and let her sit o
'But it doesn't matter now,' Madelyn felt that Zach's so-called "feelings" for her were just something temporary. He seemed upset that she didn't like him anymore, so he did those things to her.Those feelings weren't really love; they were more like being controlling. She thought, 'Maybe... in this new life, he could fall for Cecilia again. So, even if we end up together as a couple again, he'll just leave me behind once he loses interest in me.'That was why, this time around, no matter how many girls Zach liked, Madelyn had already decided not to fall for him again. Even if she ended up feeling lonely for the rest of her life, she wouldn't repeat the same mistakes she made before.At The Deli, Zach had requested a private room, but Madelyn was worried he might try something in a secluded place, so she quickly told the waiter, "We don't need a room, the main hall is just fine."Zach smiled and told the waiter, "Main hall it is, as she wants.""Right this way, please," the waiter
Zach and Madelyn exited the Deli after finishing their meal.On the way to the Arnold residence, Zach asked, "Do you think everything can be back to normal?"He drove with one hand while holding hers with the other in the backseat. He added, "Head back and rest. I've already canceled the camp for you. If you want to go out and have some fun, I'm happy to join you.""Are you making decisions for me again?" Madelyn pulled her hand away forcefully. "How many times do I have to repeat myself! Zach, I don't like you anymore! Can't you get that through your head!"She had done so much for Zach in her previous life, but he never took her seriously. After her rebirth, she decided to let go and create some distance. Yet, he persisted in getting closer, not willing to give her space. 'In my past life, he saw me as a tool to bring down my family, what's his plan for me this time around? Am I just a toy to him?'Zach didn't respond, but Madelyn sensed his frustration.When he paused at a red
Madelyn opened the car door and hopped out without hesitation.The security guard patrolling by the entrance gate saw her. "Miss Jent," he called.Madelyn didn't look up and quietly answered, quickly moving away. She still had to walk for about ten or twenty more minutes to get to the building where Ethan was staying.The security guard pressed the Bluetooth earpiece in his ear. While watching Madelyn's figure fading in the distance, he spoke to Ethan, "Miss Jent is back. A black Audi A6 dropped her off!"Ethan asked, "Did you see who was driving?""No, the driver didn't get out.""I see." Ethan hung up the phone.After a ten-minute walk, Madelyn finally got to the destination.A servant spotted Madelyn when she quietly got to the doorstep. The servant hurried over, and her voice was filled with concern as she said, "Miss Jent, you're finally here. Mr. Arnold called quite a few times not long ago. He was worried about you and wanted to talk to you! You should give him a call!
In the Arnold Corporation's office, Ethan had many photos on his desk. They captured moments of Madelyn and Zach holding hands as they exited The Deli, and also the scene in the mall where he helped her put on the necklace. Additionally, Ethan knew that they had spent an hour in the car. Although its windows being tinted enough to prevent prying eyes from seeing inside, it wasn't hard to tell what they were doing during that hour.Ethan asked, "Lately, Azure Corporation has secured a few projects, right?"Leyton responded, "Not many, but these projects are quite important collaborations for Azure Corporation. Zach Jardin has been handling only the major ones, while his assistant, Kevin Harrison, is overseeing the rest.""Hayson isn't around, and he's probably enjoying the free time. You should approach a few more companies to partner with Azure Corporation.""If I do that, won't that be paving the way for the Jent family?""It's just some inconspicuous collaborations. We can use