Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a warm glow in the car's interior. Madelyn couldn't believe that Zach would resort to using their child as leverage to get her to comply.Zach's words echoed in her mind, "If you don't come, he'll go hungry."The message had been relayed to her by the servant. Zach knew her well, knowing that kindness was often more effective with her than intimidation. But now, he was manipulating her by involving their child.Sighing, Madelyn retrieved a bag filled with baby essentials from the closet. She understood that Zach might forget the milk, but intentionally leaving out Dalton's diapers was perplexing. If he needed a change and there were no diapers, it would be inconvenient. Madelyn began to suspect that Zach might have omitted them on purpose.About an hour later, Madelyn arrived at the Jardin Corporation building, with Jordan waiting for her. The tall building felt familiar. She had not wanted to be here; she had hoped Zach would take Dalto
Madelyn held a fork, her eyebrows knit in silence. Without looking at him, she could still feel the intensity of his stare. She wore a beige sweater, her long hair pinned up with a few stray strands falling by her ear. The elegant curve of her neck gave off a gentle and friendly vibe. The aura she exuded was something other women from outside could never match for Zach.Zach knew Madelyn loved fish nuggets. Taking some from the takeout bag, he placed them on her plate."Can't you behave during meals?" Madelyn set down her fork and gently stopped his wandering hand on her chest.Zach said with a mischievous smile, "They have grown quite a bit."Madelyn recalled how he had always been so polite to others, and she wondered why he acted differently around her. It seemed as though there was another side to him, one that was unrestrained. She looked at him and asked, "Why not show more restraint?"He leaned closer, noticing her hair's fragrance. "Didn't you like it more when I was more
As the car left the surveillance area, a person ran onto the road. Jordan hit the brakes hard, and Madelyn lurched forward.Jordan asked, "You okay, Ms. Jent?"Madelyn lifted her head and saw a woman with shoulder-length hair in a black uniform, sporting a Jardin Corporation ID badge. The woman's eyes sparkled with urgency, and she had a simple beauty about her. The woman hurried over, tapping on the window, prompting Madelyn to lower it. "Ms. Jent, can you spare a few minutes? I've got urgent news."Jordan said, "Ms. Jent, Mr. Jardin warned you about talking to strangers."Madelyn hesitated a moment. "What's your name?"The woman replied, "I'm Blake Dion. You may not recognize me, but I'm sure you know my cousin, Mya Harper.""Get in," Madelyn said.As Jordan tried to speak, Madelyn interrupted, "It's okay, Jordan. Take a break for a bit."Blake climbed into the car. Even with the cold, she was sweating. Seeing this, and remembering she had seen Blake rushing from the building
Madelyn was sketching a memory of Mya from four years ago."Ms. Jent," Margaret said, "how about a break with some pudding?"Without looking up, Madelyn replied, "Just leave it there."Seeing Madelyn's concentration, Margaret closed the door, ensuring her privacy. Later, when dinner was ready, Margaret tried to alert Madelyn. But Madelyn responded briefly, indicating she was not ready. Margaret saw the untouched pudding and quietly removed it.At 6:30 pm, Zach left work early. As the Rolls-Royce pulled in, its headlights danced across the windows. The tires crunched against the pavement. Zach, clearly tired, got out with Dalton under one arm, a damp spot on his striped shirt. Inside, the maid was getting the dishes ready to be reheated."Has Madelyn eaten?" Zach asked.Caught off guard by Zach's voice, the maid almost dropped the dishes. "Mr. Jardin, Ms. Jent's been in her art studio since she came home. Margaret tried to call her down, but no luck. I'm just about to heat the din
Around 9:30 that evening, Zach relaxed on the couch in the living room, eager to hear Jordan's news about Madelyn.Jordan started, "Here's the scoop. Ms. Jent chatted with that girl briefly before stepping out of the car. But when she came back, her demeanor had changed."Zach looked at Margaret with a serious face. "What about you? What do you think?"Margaret laughed lightly. "Mr. Jardin, you might be overanalyzing. In two days, it's the birthday bash for a friend of Ms. Jent. The painting? She made it as a gift."Zach asked, "Is the friend's last name Harper?"Margaret just shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm not certain."Zach stood up from the couch. "Got it," he said and headed upstairs.In the study of his master bedroom, he paused by the large windows, gazing at the sky filled with stars. Picking up the phone, he dialed a number.Kevin answered instantly, "Mr. Jardin."Zach said, "Look into it. Around noon today, find out who left the company to meet Madelyn."In a well-lit off
"She's--"Luke interrupted her with a sarcastic laugh, "Got it. She's the little sister of Jardin Corporation's top dog. And how's that your business? If she genuinely cared, she'd be here by now. Thinking the Harper family can rival the Jardin heiress? Wishful thinking. Honestly, after everything with the Harpers, I've had enough."Mya had not realized she had brought trouble upon herself, and now her dad was caught up in it. The makeup artist quickly applied makeup as she sat at the vanity. Afterward, she was led to a changing room and dressed in a used wedding gown. Changing into the gown, Mya noticed the many dark bruises covering her body.'When are you coming to help me, Madelyn?'In college, Mya became friends with Luke, a student always tight on cash.Now, Mya sat alone in the lounge, hugging herself, feeling lonely and ignored. The hushed voices of Luke and a woman making out nearby deepened her sense of isolation.As the clock struck noon, the banquet began. Even with h
After Blake punched Luke, he started bleeding from the corner of his mouth, which sent the party into chaos. Blake quickly grabbed Mya, pulled the ring off her finger, and threw it at Luke, but it bounced off and landed somewhere else."This cheap ring's your idea of love?" Blake snapped. "Luke, you and your freeloading family should just leave."Seeing the guests' shocked reactions, Luke said, "Blake, enough! Don't cause a bigger scene.""What if I want to make a scene? What're you going to do about it? Try and hit me?" Blake challenged.Mya tugged at her arm. "Enough, Blake.""Don't worry about him, Mya," Blake said. "Madelyn's on her way. And once she's here, all these cheaters will have to answer for what they've done. They'll give back every penny they took from the Harper family.""Is she really coming?""Yes.""Ridiculous! Even if someone important were here, this proposal is happening," a woman in a poorly fitting dress interrupted. She was Luke's aunt. "Get her out. Wh
"If the CEO of Jardin Corporation and Madelyn are coming, they'll be welcomed," Luke declared. "You said she'd be coming, right? Let's wait twenty minutes. If they don't show up, we'll start the party.""Alright, twenty minutes," Mya replied. "We aren't scared."Luke's aunt chimed in, "It's like we've never met important people before. What's the big deal?"A teenage boy sitting nearby turned to his sister and asked, "Do you think Mya knows the woman from the Jent family? I've never heard Mya mention her.""I don't know, so quit asking!" she replied, clearly irritated."Did you sneak into Mya's closet and wear her clothes again? I've told you, those outfits look good on Mya, but on you? Not so much," he said."Ugh! You're always talking about Mya. If you like her so much, why don't you just make her your sister and leave me out of it?" she retorted.The waitstaff at Supreme World set the table and cleaned everything up fast. Luke wanted fresh dishes. Only two minutes of the twen
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