Zach's phone began to vibrate in the hushed hospital room. He retrieved the device from his pocket and saw that it was a call from Hayson. Stepping out of the room, he answered the call, his voice calm but respectful, "Father...""Madelyn got into trouble at school. Go see what's going on!" Hayson sounded a little angry."Madelyn? Okay... Got it." Zach's tone was soft, but his face was solemn. After Hayson hung up the phone, Zach realized he couldn't leave Jadie alone at the hospital, so he called Kevin."Mr. Jardin," Kevin answered promptly."How much longer until your meeting concludes?" Zach inquired."The meeting just ended," Kevin replied."Head over to Ventrocloud High School immediately.""Has Ms. Jent gotten into trouble again?""Once you've resolved the situation, bring her back to the apartment.""Alright, Mr. Jardin."'Not again. Ms. Jent seems to be a magnet for trouble. Dealing with her antics is becoming a recurring task. She caused a major deal to fall through
"I thought someone else would be here. Where's Hayson Jent, Mr. Harrison? His daughter beat my daughter up, and you're the one who showed up? Are we unworthy of him coming down here in person?""It's not like that. I was asked to come and resolve the situation. I'd like to apologize on behalf of Ms. Jent's behavior. Mr. Jent assured that we would do our best to address everything that has transpired."Kevin noticed that Madelyn had a deep scratch on her face and her disheveled appearance. The other three girls were also far from unscathed.Typically, it was Zach who appeared whenever Madelyn got into trouble, but this time, Kevin was the one who came. 'He must be with Jadie right now,' thought Madelyn. 'She got hurt, after all. Zach must be heartbroken.'"Compensate? With money? And you're saying Hayson cares about this? Ha! Azure Corporation is a pathetic enterprise. Tell Mr. Jent that unless he comes here right now and offers a personal apology, kneeling before me, I'll have my
The bystanders appeared stunned by the shocking revelation, and a tense atmosphere enveloped the conference room. Even Michelle struggled to comprehend the startling information. "Don't spew unfounded accusations, Madelyn."Madelyn looked at her and everyone's expressions indifferently.Both the Lampreys and the Luperts did not dare to say a word."Would you like me to go into more detail?" Madelyn asked."Shut up! That's enough! How dare you threaten me, Madelyn? How much did Hayson tell you?!" Mrs. Linney suddenly exclaimed."Oh God, it's true!" Jenny said as she covered her mouth. Her mom also covered her mouth and shot her a fierce glance.The Linney family was more powerful than the other two of the three families present. They were just there for support.Michelle looked at the person beside her in disbelief and said, "Mom, why don't I know about this? Is it true that a child died? How did you resolve this matter? Why would you drive while you were drunk, Mom? I... I don't
Ethan's assistant entered the principal's office and told them everything that had happened in the conference room, word for word. Everyone except for Madelyn was there. "...And that's what happened, Mr. Arnold."Ethan nodded, and his assistant stepped aside. Suddenly, the atmosphere became cold. The girls' mothers sat on the couch, not daring to speak. Ethan's aura exerted pressure on everyone present."I want to see signatures on those contracts in half an hour.""Yes, Mr. Arnold," said Leyton—Ethan's new assistant.The moment he had left his house, Ethan had made up his mind to reclaim what was rightfully his.'It's the only way I can protect her.'No one dared to speak at that time. The women did not know why Ethan would want to meet them, especially since they were not in charge of their husbands' companies."Mr. Arnold, I have no say in the company's business, but... May I know why you're terminating the contract?" One of the women asked in a weak voice."That's not a que
"Yes, Mr. Jardin..."Kevin didn't hang up the call. He slid the phone into his pocket instead.Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Zach walked over to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. Just as he was about to end the call, he could hear Madelyn's sobs through the phone.'So, there was another man besides her...' he mused."No one will bully you anymore... Stop crying..."Ethan's embrace was warm.And as he comforted her, her heart began to warm as well.He was the first person to offer her such solace.Zach would never comfort her in her times of sorrow and would only complain that her crying upset him. He would always tell her to go somewhere else if she wanted to cry."Can I lean on you for a bit?"Madelyn's voice trembled.Ethan smiled a little as he opened his arms to her. "Any time, any day. It'd be my pleasure."However, just as Kevin entered the room, he was met with the sight of Madelyn crying in another man's embrace. The unexpected scene left h
Madelyn knelt on the cold white ceramic title as the floor glimmered. Her gaze lowered, fixating on the reflection staring back at her. She gently stroked her hand over the scratching scar on her face, feeling a tingling sting.The study was awash with the smell of sandalwood and her nose felt a little uncomfortable.At this moment, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps and she immediately knelt straight up and clutched her clothes tightly. She knew what was coming for her next.Soon, the door was opened as Hayson walked in with Zach and Jadie following behind."Do you know what you've done wrong today?" Hayson asked.Madelyn lowered her head as Zach's silhouette enveloped her by the corner of the gaze. The atmosphere in the study was oppressive and made her breathless.She said meekly. "I shouldn't quarrel with my classmates."Hayson took the cane down from the wall and walked toward Madelyn as he faced the cane toward her.Madelyn was trembling in fear and as she heard
Madelyn walked out of the study and Rosario, who was waiting outside, immediately walked over when she saw someone come out of the room. "Madelyn... How are you holding up?"Madelyn's face was rather pale. "I... I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Rosario. Do you still have any painkillers?" Her voice was getting weaker and weaker, and as the last words left her mouth, Madelyn fainted altogether.Jasmine, who was hiding in a corner, saw this scene, and when she saw Madelyn faint, she did not step forward but instead turned and went downstairs.She saw the wounds on Madelyn's back. 'Isn't she his own daughter? Why did he beat her like that?'By the time Madelyn woke up the next day, it was already noon.She was lying flat on her stomach, and she could feel a chill on her back. When she saw her back exposed, Madelyn immediately pulled the blanket over herself, but it was quickly pulled away by someone else."Don't move. Unless you want me to reapply the ointment."Madelyn felt somethi
Not long after Zach left, Jasmine brought in some pastries. She took a look at Madelyn's wounds and said some words of concern before leaving.Even after taking the painkillers, Madelyn was still in pain and still could not sleep at night.She was woken up by a nightmare in the middle of the night. She was sweating profusely and since she was unable to move or turn around, her drowsiness was soon lost.With the passing of time, her chest started to hurt badly, so she used a pillow to cushion it.She was only eighteen, and her chest growing too big was not a good thing.When she looked at the time, it was only half past three.Madelyn woke up to go to the bathroom and unbuttoned her pajamas. As she looked at the crisscrossing wounds on her body, it was much better than before aside from a few spots that were still swollen red.She was sweating so much and with the summer heat, her entire body was sticky, so she took a simple bath, making sure to avoid getting her wounds wet.Aft
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