"I say I'll always be by your side forever. If you don't like him, you shouldn't force yourself."Madelyn sat up, "I think I do like him, but it's just taking me some time to get used to it. I... I don't know. What about you? Do you like him?""It's your choice. As long as you like him, I will accept him.""I don't even know if this is the right thing to do. What about you... did you like Father? How did you get together in the first place?"In an instant, the figure by the bed didn't answer and disappeared.The next morning, the first rays of light broke through.These past few days had been calm, without a single ripple. However, the calmer it was, the harder it was for Madelyn to find peace of mind.This weekend, Madelyn had hoped to sleep in, but the commotion of a servant knocking at her door disturbed her."Miss Jent, it's time to wake up. Mr. Arnold is waiting for you downstairs.""Alright," Madelyn mumbled groggily, then quickly turned over and went back to sleep.The
"Am I still your father? For something as big as your engagement, you didn't even bother to call me?" Hayson asked.Madelyn mumbled her response.Hayson rarely talked to her, and lately, he had only called a few times. Usually, Zach handled things when there were issues. 'He must be calling just to look like a good father in front of Ethan.'She said quickly, "I'm sorry, Father. I was gonna tell everyone in a few days. How are you and Jasmine?""We're good. But you should have hid your engagement from me. We'll talk more when I'm back.""I..." Madelyn's heart raced, and she looked at Ethan for help.Ethan reached for her phone and smiled, "I've got this. You go freshen up."Madelyn nodded without saying anything and handed her phone to Ethan. Then, she rushed into the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water to wake herself up completely. She splashed her face with cold water to wake herself up completely. At first, she thought Ethan was just making a casual remark about
The makeup artist asked, "Miss Jent, do you have any specific makeup you want?""Specific makeup?""Yeah, it's for your engagement. We're trying out your makeup look.""I see." Madelyn looked down, lost in thought.The makeup artist explained, "We're going to try out your whole look, including your hairstyle, for your engagement. If you don't like something, we can change it.""Okay."Madelyn's skin was already flawless, so she didn't need much foundation. Her soft features and creamy skin had a special charm. She had a natural beauty that could wow anyone, like a beautiful rose, both attractive and elegant. Her body, style, and clothes made her stand out easily. It was clear that as she got older, she would make a lot of guys go wild.It took two whole hours for styling and makeup, and by the end, Madelyn was almost falling asleep."Miss Jent, you can take a look now. Do you like it?""It's alright. What do you all think?"Both the stylists and makeup artists were in awe of
"Don't you think it's too early for wedding dress shopping, Ethan? We're not even engaged yet," Madelyn asked.Ethan replied gently, "Nah, it's never too early for that. Getting engaged and married is just a matter of time."The manager noticed something was up between them and gave a friendly smile. "Miss Jent has a point. She's still growing, and if we order the dress now, it might not fit properly even after fitting sessions later. That wouldn't be ideal for the big day. How about we wait until you've set a wedding date?"Ethan ran his thumb along the back of Madelyn's hand, thought for a moment, and said, "That sounds like a plan. Let's wait for your father to get here today, finalize the wedding details, and then we can go find that perfect dress."Madelyn beamed, "Sounds good to me!"Meanwhile, Kevin knocked on the door and walked into Zach's office at Azure Corporation. "Mr. Jardin, there are some papers that need your signature for the construction costs."Zach glanced at
Wincy Burton came over and slammed her hands on Zach's desk. She was really bold. "Zach Jardin, twenty-six years old, godson adopted by Hayson Jent. "You sponsored a pretty student from a music academy, and she somehow died at a ski resort last year after an argument with you. "Two months ago, you handed over Alma's development rights to my brother. You also made a deal with Regal Corporation for Alma's development, but it's only supposed to last three months. Oddly enough, my brother ended up in jail, and the day before you visited him, he died mysteriously in there."Kevin didn't look happy. "Miss Burton, please mind your words. This is a workplace. If you keep causing a scene, we can call the police."Wincy grinned. "Sure, call them! Let the cops investigate my brother's case properly. He was perfectly fine, so why was he arrested and then suddenly died?"Zach put down his papers and told Kevin, "Please leave."Kevin nodded and left, closing the door behind him.Zach stood
To Wincy's surprise, Zach appeared to discern something with just a single glance. She had undergone plastic surgery. She hadn't anticipated that there was someone who resembled her new appearance. Recently, she had some work done on her eyes, so they were slightly swollen, but one would have to scrutinize closely to notice.Trying not to look too nervous, Wincy crossed her arms and acted cool. "Do we know each other?" She spotted some papers with her pictures on his desk and couldn't help but ask, "How much do you know about me?"But before Zach could say anything, she grabbed the file folder and spilled the rest of the pictures and documents out.When she saw those photos, Wincy froze. They were all pictures of her from way back, dating back to before she had undergone plastic surgery, from her elementary school years to her college days.Her hands were shaking. "Wh-Where did you get these? How did you find my old pictures?""I told you, when you're checking out someone like me,
Leaving his office, Zach and Kevin headed to the meeting room.Around six-thirty in the evening, Madelyn didn't purposely dress up for the occasion. She wore a matching outfit with Ethan, which he had picked out.When Hayson and Jasmine arrived, Jasmine kindly held Madelyn's hand and they walked into the hall, saying, "I can't believe you're getting engaged so soon. I don't have anything special to give you. If you don't mind, take this bracelet. I bought it just for you.""Thank you, Jasmine," Madelyn didn't refuse the gift, though she felt a bit uneasy about it.Jasmine placed the bracelet around Madelyn's wrist. Its exquisite translucence shimmered in the light, and every intricate facet captured the gleam, hinting at its significant value.Madelyn thought, 'Father must've paid for it. Now that she's carrying the Jent family heir, Father's spoiling her, and she can buy anything she wants.'Jasmine was dressed in a sleek, form-fitting dark green dress today, exuding an air of e
Jadie held onto Zach's arm as they walked. He apologized, "I'm sorry. There was a jam, so I was delayed a little." Jadie followed behind Zach timidly. She did not speak and dared not look around. She merely followed Zach carefully to the table.Evelyn was the last to arrive and sat at the main table with Hayson. Hayson stood up to welcome her, "Mrs. Arnold Sr., what an honor it is. Are you doing well these days?"Evelyn responded to him out of respect for him being an in-law, "I'm doing fine. At least I'm not dead yet. Everyone must be anxious. Let the feast begin."When everyone started to eat, Evelyn took a carne frita and gave it to Madelyn. She then said, "You've gotten skinnier these days. All these dishes are your favorite. Eat more of it."Madelyn thanked her, "Thank you, Evelyn."Evelyn smiled and said, "When I arrived here, I consulted the abbot of the Linos Monastery for an auspicious date for your engagement with Ethan. Based on what Ethan said, the third day after you
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