Madelyn was sitting in the last row. Lem, who sat in front of her, would occasionally turn around to chat with her.Just then, Madelyn's phone vibrated. She received a photo from an unknown number. A chill was sent down her spine when she clicked on the photo. Her hands trembled uncontrollably.The person in the photo was lying on a white hotel bed. He was not wearing a shirt with his hand resting on his forehead. The time and date displayed in the photo were not too long ago. The photo was taken during her long school break last year.Ethan's words at that time flooded her mind, 'Don't you want to ask why am I going there?'I'll be back very soon. I'll go there for around three days.'"Madelyn, what are you looking at? You seem so engrossed." Lem's voice interrupted her thoughts.Madelyn dropped her phone on the ground. She panicked and felt suffocated. She was afraid that someone might see what was on her phone. Luckily, her phone battery was knocked out, and the screen blacken
Just then, a phone call interrupted her thoughts.It was an unknown number. Madelyn did not know who the number belonged to, but she had a faint idea.For some reason, the unfamiliar string of numbers on the screen had turned into the words "Cecilia Samford."Madelyn gripped the hem of her dress. It was like she had forgotten how to breathe.She took the call and held the phone by her ear. Five seconds passed, and neither of them spoke. Madelyn could feel her heart pounding, "Hello? This is Madelyn Jent speaking. Who's this?"Madelyn heard the person on the other end of the line snickered. Then, they hung up the phone.The person's blatant mockery was like a slap in Madelyn's face.'Was that Donna Jolie? Didn't she return a long time ago? That day, when Ethan found me after I disappeared, what was that fearful and strange look in his eyes?' she wondered.Madelyn squatted down, and her long hair fell over her face. She felt a sense of powerlessness washed over her.Deep down, M
"Mr. Arnold."Ethan looked up with a dark expression, "What?""There are some documents that require your signature.""Leave them on the table for now."Leyton placed the documents on the table and unintentionally saw Ethan's phone screen. He had Madelyn's contact card open.'Could Mr. Arnold be upset because of Ms. Jent? I don't think anyone else could make him as emotional other than her. He could just call her if he misses her. There's no need for him to stay upset with her for this long. Unless... the two of them had a fight,' thought Leyton."Anything else?" Ethan asked in a displeased tone.Leyton replied, "I'm not sure if I should say it.""Spit it out!""Mr. Arnold, the entire senior management is on the edge because of Ms. Jent. I don't think you should bring your personal matters to work, sir," Leyton said calmly.Ethan smirked. He gave Leyton a frosty and annoyed look, "Are you teaching me how to do my job? I'm giving you your paycheck, not the other way around. If
Madelyn stared at her phone screen.'Should I tell him I won't be going home tonight?' she wondered.Madelyn was tired.'What are we right now? If Ethan can't forget about Donna and remain in contact with her, why is he with me? Is it to spite Donna for her abrupt departure back then? I'm not their tool,' she thought again.Madelyn could not stand Ethan's betrayal. However, she was worried she would face what she had predicted if she left the Arnold residence and returned to the Jent residence. She would fall back into Zach's hands and be humiliated by him.Right now, Madelyn only had two choices: play dumb and continue going to school while receiving the Arnold family's protection, or break up with Ethan and return to her harsh, former life at the Jent residence.Madelyn already knew her answer after considering all this.School ended at eight-thirty. A familiar car punctually pulled over outside of the school.Madelyn went to the backseat, and someone was already sitting ther
"I'm a picky eater. I want to have my cinnamon oatmeal now.""I'll make it for you," Madelyn said as she put down her backpack.Ethan grabbed Madelyn's hand and said to the old woman, "You're an old servant of the Arnold family, so you should know some manners. Besides, you'll get indigestion by having food this late at night. Marta, send her home.""Yes, sir," answered Marta."Hold on... Marta, do we have grated cinnamon?""Yes," Marta replied."I don't have a lot of homework today. I'll make some oatmeal for you. It should be ready in about 40 minutes."Evelyn chuckled and said, "Thank you.""No worries."'That's how the elderly are. The older they get, the less they sleep,' she thought.Madelyn went to the kitchen.Evelyn sighed, "You and her are like the oatmeal and cinnamon in here. When cooked together, the taste is the same. But if you add or remove something, the taste changes. Think about what I said. Tell her that she doesn't need to make the oatmeal. Madelyn has a
'Because I already know what I want. I want to accept the affection and protection he gives me. Humans are selfish creatures... I know what awaits me if I return to the Jent family without Ethan. That's why I can play dumb even if he still has lingering feelings for Donna. Currently, I need Ethan, whether it's using him or merely treating him as my emotional support. But I don't feel guilty toward him because I genuinely want to like him and be with him,' Madelyn thought.She lamented, 'But this is under the premise that I can accomplish my plans. Even if we part ways in the future, I won't need to rely on others. Equity was never a part of the equation. In the future, Ethan will only see the Madelyn I want to show him. Relationships and marriages are the same. One cannot stop the other if they want to cheat.'"No worries. I'll get used to it eventually. Besides, I rarely leave the house. I spend most of my time at school. If anything, I'll just ignore what others say."Madelyn acte
"Isn't this perfect! Let's clean her up. She can just serve customers naked. That will save us some trouble," the man said.Donna asked, "Are you guys maybe overdoing it a bit with the acting?" Before she could finish her words, someone slapped her right across the face."Acting? Who the hell told you we're acting? You borrowed money and can't pay it back, so it's only right we take you as collateral!"Donna looked terrified. She thought, 'It can't be... this is different from what that man said!'They taped her mouth shut. She didn't even have a chance to struggle as they dragged her onto the staff elevator, heading for a hotel room at Supreme World.Meanwhile, in a luxurious suite at Supreme World, Randall was drunk. He hooked his arm around Zach's shoulders. "Mr. Jardin... I feel so sorry for winning so much from you last time. Let's toast."Kevin interjected, "Mr. Jardin is dealing with a stomach issue. I'll take this drink in his place.""Stay out of this. I'm raising a toa
The night breeze rustled the heavy curtains as Madelyn emerged from the bathroom, towel-drying her hair. She walked to the bedside table, wanting to charge her phone. Its screen was marred by a crack. It had been working perfectly fine during the day, but now it was constantly disconnecting while she tried to charge it.Suddenly, the phone vibrated, and Zach's number appeared on the screen, causing Madelyn's heart to skip a beat. She didn't answer but watched as the call ended automatically.She thought he might give up, but he immediately sent several messages.[I know you're not asleep this early.][You're being naughty again.][Answer the phone, or I'll come to the Arnold residence myself.]Madelyn held her breath, and her heart raced. Soon, she received a video clip. It was a steamy, intimate video of them in his car.He messaged again, [You wouldn't want this to be seen by others, would you?]Madelyn felt a shiver run down her spine. She had no idea when he had taken that
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