Madelyn attempted to pull her hand from Zach's grip, but he held firm. Turning to him, her eyes displayed a hint of emotion. Her brows knitted slightly, her voice barely more than a whisper, "What do you want?""We have servants here. You don't need to take care of things.""Servants who are loyal to you. You probably have a better idea than I do about what happened to my father. After all that's happened, do you genuinely believe I'd trust you?" Her eyes held a challenge, but then she looked away, "No matter what happens with my father, I'll do what's expected of me. In the end, you'll have control of our family's wealth, and no one will stand in your way."Madelyn tried to pull away, but just as she stepped into Hayson's room, Zach swiftly drew her back to him.All the things Madelyn held dropped to the floor. He carried her up the stairs. His movements were decisive, almost predatory."You seem to know so much, so why fight it?" he taunted.When he set her down, she was back
'He's always around so many women, who knows how many he's been fooling around before me.' She thought Zach was disgusting, yet she couldn't help feeling the same about herself. How she wished their paths had never crossed.From downstairs, Jasmine's voice drifted up as she ascended the stairs. "Zach, did you make Madelyn upset again?" When she reached the door, she didn’t seem shocked when she saw what was happening in the room. Instead, she just smiled at Zach, "Why do you always get her worked up? Talk to me instead."It was clear from how Jasmine looked at Zach that they had something special."Leave! This is MY room. Talk somewhere else," Madelyn said, putting down the craft knife in her hand. There was a small cut on her neck that was bleeding a little.Madelyn didn't conceal the contempt in her eyes for them. To her, the relationships in this house were all tangled up and messed up. It felt as if the house were a decaying swamp, and everyone was trapped, unable to break free
Madelyn got up at eight-thirty in the morning. She walked into the living room, and her bodyguards looked at each other. Breakfast was already on the table. But then, she heard a loud noise from upstairs, like something had broken.Zach was still sitting on the couch, reading the news. He didn't look up but said, "Hold on, eat first before heading upstairs."Rosario was busy in the kitchen and smiled when she saw Madelyn. There were so many yummy foods on the table, and a lot of them were things Madelyn liked.Madelyn replied, "I'm good, I had some pasta already."With a 'snap,' Zach closed the newspaper. He stood and walked over, saying loudly, "You can't go out at night anymore."Madelyn ignored him and started walking up the stairs.She stopped halfway and turned to say, "I'll make my own food from now on. I don't want anyone putting weird stuff in it."Clang!Rosario, who was preparing a meal in the kitchen, accidentally dropped something, and it broke into many pieces.Ha
Following the doctor's instructions, Madelyn brewed herbal tonic in the backyard, keeping busy for over an hour.A servant came up to her, "Miss Jent, let us do that for you. It's our job, and you shouldn't have to do it.""I'm okay," Madelyn said, "you can do other stuff."Right then, another servant told her, "Miss Jent, Mr. Arnold is here, and Mr. Jardin is talking to him.""Got it, I'll be there in a moment."After preparing the tonic, Madelyn took it to her room upstairs. Instead of going downstairs, she asked a servant to get Ethan for her.In her room, there were photos from their engagement party on the table. There was also a covered painting in one corner. She had wanted to give it to Ethan during their party, but he wasn't there, so she kept it.When Ethan came into the room, he quickly hugged her from behind, burying his face in her neck, smelling her hair."I've been so busy with work and couldn't come to see you. When are you leaving? I want to spend time with you
The waiter replied, "She just left. If you're fast, you might find her.""Thanks," Ethan replied, grabbing his jacket and running out.Outside, he looked around. There were cars, but no sign of Madelyn.He called her number on his phone."Sorry, the phone you're calling is off..."Ethan tried calling again, but no luck.Actually, if Ethan had just looked behind him, he would've seen Madelyn standing there.Ethan texted her: [Call me when you're home. I'll arrange your flight back to Paris. In a few days, someone will come to get you.]Without looking back, Ethan jumped into his car and sped off.Madelyn held her phone tight. Her fingers were pale, and she felt hurt inside.Actually, Madelyn had sneaked behind Ethan earlier and heard everything he said on the phone. Although she and Ethan were already engaged, she felt more like a homewrecker now. If it was only about Donna, Madelyn wouldn't have minded. 'But they have a kid?' thought Madelyn. 'Zach got rid of my engagement
The wind blew, and Zach caught a mix of Madelyn's natural scent and the sharp smell of alcohol.With strong force, he pulled her up from the ground. As she stumbled, he quickly held onto her waist, feeling her warmth through her light dress.Zach took the beer can from her hand and looked at it. He said in a deep, emotionless voice, "Just one can and you're this tipsy? You're still the same, making silly decisions.""Why do you care? If you want beer, just ask. Why are you being so rude?" Madelyn's words were jumbled and her voice soft. She walked to a nearby set of steps and sat on a wooden chair at the top. She tucked her legs under her and rested her head on her knees. She didn't say anything else.Under the streetlight, Zach stood close by, wearing dark everyday clothes. He looked tall next to her. "How long will you stay here? Don't you want to go home?"Madelyn mumbled, "I don't have a home anymore. I wish my mom was still alive... She'd look after me."Zach sat with her fo
Madelyn moved her body, continued to whimper.At this moment, Zach seemed like a restrained beast breaking free from its chains. He unzipped his pants, pulling his manhood out with one hand and lifted one of her legs with the other, then leaned in and kissed her.Madelyn felt something thrust into her, and suddenly, she became fully alert; her abdomen tensed. 'Zach? Why is he here?' Madelyn couldn't speak and could only emit a muted, "Mmm."There was a sharp pain the moment he filled her completely, but it faded quickly.Madelyn was kissed to the point of breathlessness, struggling to catch her breath. Alcohol had numbed her brain, and she felt herself in a daze, her entire being floating, as if she were suspended in the air.A wet, sticky sound filled the air, accompanied by vigorous movements that made the car sway."Mmm... Enough."Madelyn reached out to grab something but found nothing. She felt like she was floating on the cold water, neither sinking nor rising, on the brin
Madelyn's shoes were gone, her feet were cut by sharp stones, but she didn't feel it. All she wanted was to get away from him.She found herself on a peak of a mountain in a scenic park near Southern Haven Villas. The area was surrounded by mountains, with nothing but trees and a wild grassy field around, and a wide road that rarely saw any vehicles.At the end of the peak was a cliff, with no protective railing. Zach's car was parked right on the edge, where the most beautiful sunrise could be seen.The morning light shone on Madelyn, but she didn't feel its warmth. Instead, she felt cold and numb all over, and the blood beneath her feet was shockingly vibrant against the pale stones."Madelyn, you've got to face it now. Now you can be with your beloved brother forever," said Zach.Madelyn realized she was now on the same path as Zach, a path with no way back."No! It's wrong! Everything is wrong! It's all messed up!"She held her head, looking like she'd fall. Turning, her eye
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