Madelyn was in high spirits. She went to the kitchen and put on an apron before taking out the ingredients from the fridge to personally make the cake.Rosario walked to her, "Do you need my help?"Madelyn refused, "No. I've done it several times, so I've got the hang of it. You can go and do something else, Rosario.""Alright, then. If you need anything, just ask for me.""Sure." Madelyn replied.A walnut cake was not difficult to make. Jadie walked into the kitchen and looked at Madelyn, who was busy, and curiously asked, "Madelyn, since when did you know how to make walnut cake? Can you teach me?"Madelyn, "I learned from Rosario. If you want to learn how, I can send you a tutorial video and the recipe! It's not that difficult."Jadie replied, "Sure! I'll watch you make it now. Zach is talking with the others and I have no idea what they're talking about, so I came to see what you're doing. Do you need my help?"Madelyn, "You can help me wash these dishes. I'm halfway throug
Ethan took a bite and said, "Not bad."Most of the time at the Arnold residence, Ethan usually went along with Madelyn's wishes. This was all just to impress Hayson.Ethan spoke up, "Back at home, I never saw you treat me this well. Why are you being so kind today?" His gaze was fixed on her, intense and unwavering, making it hard to look away. To others, his look seemed far from innocent.By 'home,' Ethan was clearly referring to the Arnold residence. Madelyn found herself in an unfamiliar situation, unsure of how to respond. Gathering her courage, she replied, "Here, you're a guest, so naturally, we treat you well. Come on, eat before it cools down and loses its flavor."This meal turned out to be the longest one Madelyn had ever experienced, stretching on for a full two hours. People got pretty drunk; Hayson brought out his prized red wine, worth tens of thousands of dollars, as well as white wine. Three of them managed to empty the bottles.Hayson was helped back to his room t
"But you didn't really need to do all this... Even if you didn't give us anything, you'd still be my best..." She couldn't finish the last word, "friend", because a big firework popped in the night sky, making it all golden and bright. Right when it started, one after another, families everywhere started lighting up fireworks. The fireworks were so colorful and pretty, and they lit up Ethan's face. He looked out the window at the fireworks, like he was lost in thinking.Madelyn turned around, holding the hangover soup in her hands. She remembered what George had said and decided to wait until he felt better before talking about it."Finish the hangover soup first, then we can go see the fireworks?"Ethan smiled. "Sure."At the Jent residence, they sat on a swing under a tree in the backyard, watching the fireworks light up the sky at night."During special times like this, my favorite thing is sitting here, swinging on this swing, and watching the fireworks. I used to wish I cou
Ethan chuckled. "Yep, awesome." In Ventropolis, the Arnold family was in charge, and he did not want to mess up again. "Will you stay with me, Madelyn?" He looked at Madelyn with his deep amber eyes, making her feel like she was being pulled in.Madelyn felt a little panic. "Haven't I always been around?""You know what I'm asking."Madelyn pretended not to understand. "What do you mean?"Ethan touched Madelyn's curly hair, looking into her eyes with care. His fingers moved down her face and gently lifted her chin. As he leaned closer, he suddenly covered her eyes with his hand. Everything turned black for her, but then she felt a soft touch on her lips.Madelyn was startled, her eyes wide open. She felt a gentle kiss on her lips. They were close, both of their hearts beating fast. On the ground, their shadows looked like they were dancing together.That night, the moon seemed extra bright and kind.Leyton drove Ethan home. Ethan had sobered up, but it was not safe for him to
"What are you talking about?" Madelyn asked.Zach picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. Madelyn's head hit the pillow, and in the dim light of the moon, she looked up at the tall figure of Zach looming over her. He removed his jacket and leaned down toward her."Did you like the fireworks? Need a reminder of what went on?"As she tried to sit up, he pulled her legs, making her lie back down. He leaned in, planting strong, wild kisses on her neck."Are you jealous, Zach? Why should you be? Remember what Hayson told you today. At dinner, you could tell Father wanted me to impress Ethan. If Ethan finds out, the Arnold family and Father will both be after you! Be careful, Zach. You might mess up all your plans with what you're doing now."He stopped and propped himself up. His eyes were dark, and he looked at her with a mean smile. "So what? The thing I want to do doesn't stop me from doing what I need to do now." For a moment, he thought of overpowering her and forcing himself o
"Zach Jardin! How can you say that without feeling ashamed?""Be good."After spending more than an hour in the bathroom, Madelyn's pent-up tension finally went away. She felt completely tired. Zach helped her out of the bathtub, wrapped her in a towel, and dried her hair. She fell onto the pillow, snuggling naturally into the center of the bed.In the middle of the night, a wave of heat washed over her. She wanted to kick off the covers, but it felt like she was next to a blazing furnace. Too drained to do anything, she thought, 'Whatever.'As morning light peeked through the curtains, Madelyn was stirred by a rustling noise. She pulled her blanket tighter around her and drifted back to sleep.After getting dressed, Zach glanced back at the bundled-up Madelyn under the covers and smiled.Forrest's flight from Roshya to Ventropolis touched down at eight o'clock in the morning. An hour later, he was at the hospital's main entrance, buying a bouquet of lilies. Making his way to the
Forrest chuckled, placing apple slices onto a paper plate. "What's so special about him? Isn't he the same as always?" He passed the plate to Sylvia while he nibbled on the leftover apple core."Well, he's still your brother. You should go see him at Southern Haven Villas during the school break," Sylvia suggested."He's staying at the Arnold residence," Forrest explained.Sylvia's face stiffened at that, but she didn't say anything more.A month after Owen's divorce from his first wife, he and Sylvia tied the knot. Sylvia, a girl from a small town, was a leading actress in local plays. At 16, she met Owen, a young man from the bustling city of Ventropolis, who was teaching in her town. Despite their seven-year age difference, they immediately felt a connection. However, two years into their relationship, Owen returned to Ventropolis. Sylvia patiently waited for him for three years. During that time, he visited her and promised to return in three months to marry her. But heartbreak
Forrest asked, "Has he visited you?"Sylvia nodded, smiling gently. "He's been here non-stop. But with his age, I worried about his health, so I sent him home. The doctor will check on me later. If everything's okay, I'll be discharged tonight.""If he ever does you wrong, he's gonna deal with me."She chuckled. "Go get some sleep. I'm gonna take a stroll downstairs. Later, I'll whip up your favorite dish.""Make sure someone goes with you.""I got it."After a long flight back, Forrest was exhausted. He settled onto Sylvia's bed and was out like a light in no time.Walking downstairs with her nurse, a sudden tightness gripped Sylvia's chest, leading to a fierce bout of coughing. She covered her mouth with a pristine white handkerchief, and when she pulled it back, it was stained with blood."Madam... are you..."Sylvia kept her cool, saying, "It's just an old health issue. Don't mention it to my husband or my son; I don't want them stressing out.""Got it, Madam."She threw
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