By the time the maids finished setting up the birthday celebration, Madelyn had dressed Dalton in a red cotton jacket and a cute little hat with two fluffy balls hanging from it.One of the maids asked, "Mrs. Jardin, would you like us to call Mr. Jardin to come back?"Madelyn said without even lifting her head, "There's no need to disturb him. If you guys are done with the preparations, you can have a rest. I just need Margaret to stay with me."After the other maids left, Madelyn placed Dalton down on the carpet, where there were various gifts in front of him. She watched as Dalton crawled toward them, but even after a long while, he just would not take any of them. Instead, he crawled back to Madelyn and grabbed her hand, saying, "Mom... mommy..."Madelyn was taken aback.Margaret then said with a smile, "Oh, look at how much this kid loves you."Madelyn's heart immediately melted as she stroked Dalton's nose, "Dalton, do you want to stay with Mommy?""Ah," Dalton drooled as h
Suddenly, Kevin walked into Zach's office. "Mr. Jardin, Felicia Bolton wants to see you. Should I let her in?"Felicia Bolton was the celebrity who had been caught having an intimate relationship with Zach recently.Zach put down his phone as his gaze turned cold. "No," he said flatly.Kevin nodded, "Got it, Mr. Jardin."Felicia waited downstairs at the Jardin Corporation wearing a pair of sunglasses. The receptionist received a call and apologized to Felicia, " I'm sorry, Ms. Bolton, but Mr. Jardin is not in his office right now."With her seductive lips, she said, "He's out, huh? I'll come back later then." Then, she left the office in an MPV. "Any news?" her manager asked nervously.Felicia shook her head in disappointment. "He's not in his office.""This is your last chance. There's no one who can help you besides him. Felicia, you've been really careless this time.""I'll find a way to get through this.""It looks like we have no other option. I know a few people who work
Fred acted as if he had heard a joke. "Remember, you belong to me now."After saying that, he left, not seeming to care about the woman behind him at all.Felicia stayed there for a week after that, like a prisoner. Every day, she was either locked up or humiliated relentlessly.Felicia's manager, Ally Baker, had found out the identity of the person who kidnapped Felicia but chose to hide it from others. Although not many people around her knew about Fred, Ally was confident that she was right about her investigation.Fred had a mysterious network of connections, and even the prominent figures were wary of him, so Ally dared not provoke him.When Ally received a call to pick Felicia up, she was scared senseless.As soon as she saw Felicia, who had been tortured so much that she could hardly be recognized, she immediately took her to the hospital.Without Zach, Madelyn finally got to enjoy some peaceful days alone.Mya started spending more time in the villa too, even staying th
As they stood next to Madelyn, Mya and the maids had not expected that she would speak like that to her husband, as if they were complete strangers to each other.Mya suddenly felt bad for Madelyn.'How could he lock Madelyn up here and go shopping with another woman?' Mya thought to herself.Mya got angry and snatched the phone from Madelyn's hand."Ptui, you suck." She scolded Zach and abruptly hung up the call.Margaret sensed that something was not right and immediately sent the other maids away.Then, Mya grabbed Madelyn's arm and said, "Madelyn, I suddenly feel so sorry for you! You never wanted to stay here, right?"A faint smile appeared on Madelyn's face. "I'm already used to this. Don't worry.""But you don't seem genuinely happy. You always seem a little sad whenever we're together."Madelyn's smile faded as she lowered her gaze, seemingly thinking about something."I'm sorry, but I don't think I can go shopping with you anymore."Madelyn did not cry. Instead, Mya
When Zach came back, he looked down the hallway and noticed that the light was on in the art room.As soon as he pushed open the door to the art room, he saw Madelyn, who had long hair. She was wearing a scarf, sitting with a paintbrush in her hand working on a canvas with an easel. She knew Zach had come back when she heard the room door open. However, she did not turn to look at him and continued with her work.Zach draped a black suit jacket over Madelyn's shoulders. She stopped painting. Zach then kneeled down in front of her, "Why are you still up so late?"He had been out enjoying himself and had just returned after a long time. When Madelyn heard his voice now, she felt both unfamiliar and yet familiar.She casually responded without looking at him, "I woke up and didn't know what to do, so I decided to finish up my work."Zach looked at her painting. It was a forest scene after a rain, with raindrops still clinging to the leaves, creating an enchantingly misty scenery.Za
Zach asked, "Did you miss me while I was away? Hmm?"Madelyn remained indifferent and cold toward him, "Don't you already know?"She did not care about her answer, and neither did Zach.Zach responded, "It's okay, as long as you're by my side."Thinking of what he had just done with another woman, Madelyn felt repulsed and disgusted by the scent of him.Zach reluctantly released his hands. Madelyn wanted to leave, but she could not."Why are you trying to leave?" Zach held her hand and put it on his chest, "Help me unbutton my shirt. I want to shower."His strong smell made her uncomfortable. She responded, "You can do it yourself. I'm going to sleep now."Zach did not let her go easily, "Do you really think you can run away?"She thought, 'Yes, I can't run away.'Madelyn reluctantly used her trembling hands to unbutton his black shirt before removing it. This made the scent of his cologne even stronger.After undressing completely, Zach forcefully took her to the bathroom w
Mya thought, 'Madelyn and Zach?'She had never known that Madelyn had this kind of relationship with Zach. She wondered when they had started sleeping together.'Oh my goodness.' Mya felt very uncomfortable.All the days she had been staying here, she thought Madelyn was still in love with Ethan.She never expected this...She was lost in her thoughts, 'Oh no, this is so confusing. What about Dalton? Is he not Ethan's? Dalton looks so much like Madelyn. I thought...'If this is the case, isn't Madelyn basically becoming a mistress now?'Margaret noticed Mya did not look right, so she asked, "Ms. Harper, what's wrong?"Mya slapped her own face hard, trying to snap herself back to reality, "It's impossible, it's impossible. Madelyn definitely wouldn't be with him. I must be dreaming."However, she did not dare to ask Madelyn about it, so she asked Margaret, "What's the relationship between Madelyn and that jerk?! Didn't she like Ethan all this time? Why's she with this jerk now?
Madelyn continued to ponder, 'The Arnold family and the Young family had all long been in his pocket. Why did he kill Ethan?!'Madelyn did not want to cause any trouble for Mya, so she did not tell her that Ethan was dead.Not only Mya, but even the outside world did not know about the news.Zach had reached the point where he could single-handedly control Ventropolis. No one could stop him from doing whatever he wanted.Madelyn said, "Mya... Can you leave for a while? I'm tired. I want to sleep a little more."Tears streamed down Mya's face when she looked at Madelyn who was in this horrible state. She responded, "Okay. You sleep well. I won't disturb you."After Mya left the room, she wiped her tears and silently resolved to help Madelyn escape...At Jardin Corporation, after Zach ended the meeting, Kevin placed a file folder on Zach's desk, "This is Felicia Bolton's medical condition at the hospital. She was taken away by Fred on the day she came to the company."Here... The
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