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
"Miss Jent, didn't Mr. Arnold come downstairs with you?" asked the servant.Madelyn replied, "He's probably still asleep.""When I went to wake him up earlier, his room was empty."When Madelyn thought about how Ethan had gone out last night and hadn't returned all night, a hint of unease flashed across Madelyn's face. She said, "Maybe he had some work stuff to attend to, so he went out early.""I see."As Madelyn left, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease. 'I wonder if it's because of the exam tomorrow. I'm feeling a bit nervous.'At eight 'o clock, students started to arrive at Ventrocloud High School."Did you hear about the incident at Supreme World yesterday? Randall Burton was beaten to death.""I saw it; I was at Supreme World at the time. But I don't know who did it. Police cars and ambulances all showed up. I heard from the room service staff that there was blood everywhere on the ground. Randall Burton is likely to be disabled now.""I wonder who he messed with
At half-past five in the afternoon, during the Math Olympiad training class, Albert had just finished explaining the last problem. So, he closed the textbook and said, "We've covered all topics. Does anyone have any questions? If not, you can all head back early today. Review what you need to, get a good night's rest, and don't let it affect your performance tomorrow. And one last thing, don't be late, and don't forget to bring your admission tickets."After giving some additional instructions, Albert picked up his books and left.The others started packing up their bags, while Lem came over and patted Madelyn on the shoulder. "Class is dismissed early. Want to hang out?""I'm not going. I have something to do later," she replied.Lem said, "I've heard that excuse from you a hundred times. Is it because your parents are strict?"Madelyn smiled faintly but didn't say anything.Kennedy gave Lem a meaningful look. Lem seemed to suddenly remember something. He covered his mouth, real
"Exactly! What if she decides to complain to Ethan Arnold? My parents could get into serious trouble."A sly gleam appeared in Kayla's eyes as she said, "You all are worthless. But don't fret, she won't be with Ethan for much longer."She thought, 'She began with such confidence, openly declaring Ethan Arnold as her boyfriend. Now, her boyfriend is cheating on her. She must be feeling so embarrassed.'Madelyn left the school, and her driver, who didn't expect her to finish school early today, was still waiting outside.She headed to a cellphone repair shop to get her phone fixed.The shop owner examined her phone and said, "This is the latest model! The screen is in such bad shape that repairing it will cost almost as much as buying a new phone. It might be better not to fix it. I just got some new models in. Would you like to take a look?"Madelyn hesitated for a moment. "Um, okay." She didn't have anything particularly important on her phone, aside from the usual junk messages