The painting was laid out on the table, with Madelyn's name written on the reference number column.Ethan brushed his fingers over the painting, "Is she the winner of this competition?" Whenever he saw anything related to her, he would instinctively calm down.Leyton responded, "The organizer sent this. They wanted to know your opinion."Actually, Leyton knew Madelyn would surely join this competition. He knew Madelyn loved painting, and he believed her skills were on par with professional artists."Does she know the Arnold Corporation jointly organized this competition?" Ethan asked."No one knows about that, so I assume Ms. Jent isn't aware of it either.""Understood. You may leave for now.""Okay." Leyton said as he left and closed the office doors behind him.Ethan carefully looked at every detail of the painting.'So that's why she hasn't contacted me for the past few days. Seems she wanted to focus on creating this painting. She's clear-headed and knows very well about w
Madelyn thought, 'I've always felt alone in this family. It doesn't really matter if there's nobody else in this house.'As she walked past Zach, headed toward the stairs, he reached out and gently held her hand. "Rosario had a car accident. She had to undergo surgery, and now she's in the hospital."Madelyn's expression remained unchanged as she responded, "I hope she recovers quickly. But I won't be going to visit her."Despite her close relationship with Rosario, Madelyn couldn't bring herself to face the person who had fed her poison for over a decade. At one point, she had naively considered Rosario her only family.In reality, Madelyn had suspected this truth for a long time, but she had been unable to confront it. A breakdown seemed inevitable for her. However, this was just one factor contributing to Madelyn's current emotional state.She wanted to deceive herself. But she could not do that. She wanted to move on and not care about anything. However, she did not know when
Whenever Madelyn was faced with problems, she would only think about how to escape from them. She hated this aspect of herself. She also hated that she could not do anything.However, no one had ever told her how to react to the problems. She was like a scaredy-cat.Not only did Cecilia look down on her, but every trusted individual around Zach disdained her too.She grew up in this kind of environment. She hated that she could not change anything.Madelyn hugged her pillow as she lowered her head. She did not want to look at the intense gaze that fell on her. Just when she was about to leave, Zach, who looked gloomy which Madelyn could not see, walked to her. He grabbed her arm and plucked the needle from her hand before throwing it on the floor. After that, he dragged her into the bathroom.She struggled defenselessly to resist his touch. Her clothes were torn open, exposing a large area of skin on her chest."Don't touch me!" Madelyn scratched his face and grabbed a comb to th
Madelyn did not know why, but she somewhat wanted to know Zach's answer.The room was strangely silent as he blew her hair. Her hair was long, slightly wavy, dense, and not easy to dry. It was very difficult to take care of. She would take over an hour to dry her hair completely. Most of the time, she would only dry it halfway. She would then place a towel under her head and go to bed.It was just past midnight when Zach finished blowing Madelyn's hair.The night was still long, she did not know how to pass the time.Zach turned her head and looked at the messy room. He then carried her and walked out of the room. Madelyn knew she could not stop what he wanted to do. So, she did not resist.When he was carrying her downstairs, they ran into Margaret who was going upstairs.'Oh my, what are they doing? I don't even dare to look,' Margaret thought before saying, "Mr. Jardin, I just came up to check. Do you still want the chicken soup? It won't be nice to drink after tomorrow."Zac
Zach insisted on feeding Madelyn a spoonful of chicken soup, but the moment it entered her stomach, she felt a painful churn. Bent over the edge of the bed, she vomited violently, expelling the contents of her empty stomach, mostly stomach acid that left a bitter taste in her mouth.Still feeling nauseous, Madelyn attempted to get out of bed, and Zach, anticipating her needs, gently lifted her around the waist and carried her to the bathroom.Hunched over the toilet, Madelyn continued to retch uncomfortably, the stomach acid causing searing pain in her esophagus. Zach patted her back.As moments passed, Madelyn's breathing quickened, and she grew limp, unable to stand any longer. Her eyes welled up with tears, and then, she suddenly lost consciousness."Madelyn!"There was no response from Madelyn. Without hesitation, Zach scooped her up and rushed downstairs.At SereneCare Hospital, Zach rushed into the emergency room, where Madelyn lay on a hospital bed connected to an IV drip.
Madelyn assured, "Starting today, I'll be the one paying your monthly salary."Margaret gave her thigh a reassuring pat and responded, "Okay, I'll call a locksmith right away. If Mr. Jardin questions me later, please back me up. I still have my family to support."Madelyn nodded in agreement, saying, "Of course, I will."After approximately two to three hours, Margaret returned to the hospital, visibly perspiring. She reported, "The front door lock has been changed, and I've reset the password as per your instructions."Madelyn expressed her gratitude, "Thank you for your prompt action."Margaret humbly replied, "Well, you're paying me. It's my job."Madelyn changed out of the hospital gown before quickly completing the discharge procedures. She paid the medical expenses with the bank card Hayson gave her. Hayson would send her money every month. And since she did not usually spend much, she had quite a lot of savings.As she exited the ward and stepped into the corridor, Margar
The school would occasionally call the villa's landline. However, Madelyn wanted peace. So, she unplugged all the telephone lines. She did not even know where her handphone was. She had completely isolated herself from the outside world.She spent her days following a routine. She would eat, sleep, draw, and occasionally water the flowers in the garden when she was in a good mood.At the Azure Corporation, Zach had his hand in his pocket as he walked out of the conference room. Kevin was following beside him.Zach asked, "How's the situation at the Southern Haven Villas?"Kevin reported, "After Ms. Jent returned from the hospital, she's been locking herself inside the villa. She hasn't left the house for a long time."Zach's eyes were gloomy and mysterious as he said, "Okay."When he went back to his office, he sat at the desk. He accidentally moved the mouse. The computer screen displayed a girl wearing a knee-length white floral-print leisure pajama. She was sitting cross-legge
As Margaret said that, she grabbed her phone and pressed the phone number for Madelyn to see.Madelyn immediately recognized the phone number. She thought, 'If he already has an answer, there's no need for us to contact each other unnecessarily again.'He's indeed a very good man. But maybe we aren't destined to be together.'Madelyn made wholehearted efforts in every kind of relationship she was in. She had no regrets.Three days later, at six in the evening, Madelyn wore a plain black hooded coat and light-colored sports pants. The weather was still cold, so she wore a few pieces of clothes. She was not really dolled up. However, she applied some light-colored lipstick to make herself look better.This was her first time leaving Southern Haven Villas after being discharged from the hospital. It was still sunny. The sunlight shone on her body, making her feel warm.The scheduled driver arrived at the door. When Madelyn fastened her seatbelt, she was thinking about getting a driv