Mya's escape from the fifteenth floor of the hospital had not gone unnoticed. Someone had snapped pictures and videos of her escape and circulated them online swiftly.Since the launch of Jardin Corporation's social media platform, which had been promoted alongside the development of AI chips, keypad phones had become obsolete. The introduction of new smartphones marked the dawn of a new technological era.Finishing his last meeting, Zach headed to SereneCare hospital.In the ward, Kai was meticulously stitching up Madelyn's finger wound, applying medicine with precision. He said, "You know, you could be a bit more careful. Hurting yourself like this is senseless. It pains him to see you in pain and ultimately, you're the one who suffers."Madelyn remained expressionless, silent.After Kai finished bandaging Madelyn's finger, Lana entered and announced, "Kai, dinner's ready."Madelyn withdrew her hand.As Kai stood and stowed the medicine in the cabinet for Madelyn, he remarked,
Zach continued enthusiastically, "When you want to take a break from reading, you could try some games our gaming department developed; you might enjoy it. And if there's a particular game you want, just let me know."He was like an old man with an endless stream of thoughts to share.Madelyn's patience wore thin. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the phone onto the bed. "Zach, I don't need any of this," she declared, exasperated.'He declares his love one moment, but he might as well claim my life the next.' Madelyn thought to herself.Zach, undeterred, replied gently, "It's okay if you don't accept it now, Madelyn. One day, you might, and I'll wait. I may not know how to love someone properly, but I'm willing to learn, step by step."Madelyn's tolerance faded. She pushed his hand away and stepped back. She said flatly, "You're beyond saving."Zach chuckled lightly, "Perhaps you're right.""And you're a madman," Madelyn accused."You might say that," Zach agreed, unfazed.
Madelyn acted swiftly and yanked the power cord from Zach's laptop. Without its battery attached, the laptop instantly blanketed the screen in darkness.Zach just slightly raised an eyebrow, not uttering a word about the call's abrupt end. He shed his black suit jacket and draped it over the chair Madelyn had just been sitting on. He said, "Your old number didn't have an area code; most numbers now require a reset and transfer process. I found it too troublesome and canceled your old number. You'll use this new number from now on, okay?"Zach spoke as if the matter was light and breezy. His tone suggested that this was a done deal, a decision made for Madelyn without consent.Angered by Zach's audacity, Madelyn grabbed a pillow from the bed and hurled it at him. She said, "My phone number is mine to decide on. Who gave you the right to just cancel it, Zach? Are you out of your mind?"The pillow bounced harmlessly off his chest, leaving him unfazed. Calmly picking it up, Zach return
Madelyn could not empathize with Kai's seemingly guilt-free acceptance of the affection. Returning to her room, she intended to sleep alone. However, she woke up in her original hospital ward, awakened by a scorching heat.After several failed attempts to push the source away, Madelyn became alarmed when she noticed something amiss with her right ring finger. Her face darkened upon realizing that Zach had slipped the ring back onto her finger without her realizing it. When she tried to remove it, she felt it was loose.In the dark room, as Madelyn got close to him, she could hear the clear beat of his heart. Just as she was about to free herself from the ring completely, Zach caught her hand. He halted her and placed her hand around his waist.Zach's deep voice resonated in the darkness, "Go to sleep. We'll go home after we get the medical report tomorrow."Zach seemed resolved to prevent her from taking off the ring again. Recently, Madelyn had noticed the simple band he consisten
Madelyn promptly removed the ring Zach had put on her finger again and placed it under his pillow. Usually, the slightest noise would awaken him with vigilance, but not this time.Recently, the staff at Jardin Corporation were like cats on a hot tin roof with their work. Even Zach had been arriving at the company an hour early every day and leaving precisely at 5:30 p.m. to accompany Madelyn to the hospital. Most of his work was now being conducted in the hospital room. Whether attending meetings or dealing with paperwork, he managed it all by her bedside.Madelyn did not understand why Zach had to be there all the time if he was so busy. She felt uneasy with his constant presence during her check-ups at the hospital.The next morning, it was still dark at 6:30 a.m. when Kevin arrived at the private ward and found Zach, who appeared tired and irritable. When Zach noticed the lobby's emptiness, his gaze turned sharp, and asked, "Where is she?"Confused, Kevin responded, "Mr. Jardin,
Zach retrieved the ring from his suit pocket and tried to place it on Madelyn's finger once more. Madelyn reacted as if she had seen something terrifying, desperately trying to pull her hand away. However, Zach's firm grip prevented her from succeeding."This is the third and final time," Zach warned sternly. "Do not remove it again, or you'll be in trouble.""What else can you do besides threatening me?" Madelyn retorted.Zach did not release Madelyn's hand after putting the ring on her finger. He said, "I just want you to be good. I'll be busy for a while, but I expect you to accompany me to the company's annual meeting as the future Mrs. Jardin."Madelyn felt sweaty and anxious at Zach's words. She said, "You're crazy! Let Cecilia accompany you, not me!"Madelyn had rarely appeared in the media. Even when her family was still influential, her father, Hayson, had protected her well by keeping her away from media scrutiny. She had her fair share of teenage rebellions. However, de
Unsure of what Zach was contemplating after being silent for a while, the technician offered another possibility, "If the laptop hasn't been tampered with, another reason could be a sudden power outage. If the battery is depleted and the plug is pulled directly, it can cause an improper shutdown that could damage the system files. To fix the laptop, we have to reinstall the operating system. There's no other way."What the technician said was something Zach should have thought of earlier. He played a rhythmic pattern on his desk with his fingers. Then, he lifted his wrist to check the time. "Prepare a new laptop for me immediately," Zach ordered, "and notify the senior executives to send copies of all important documents for the year to my email."Kevin, observing that Zach was not showing much emotion on his face, figured that the laptop's malfunction was probably related to last night's international video conference. He had been taking notes when suddenly, the laptop made a noise,
Margaret clumsily hit the record button and sent the video of Madelyn eating the chicken potato soup to Zach."My goodness, Ms. Jent. You look so beautiful on camera," Margaret exclaimed, obviously pleased with her filming skills."That's enough. I've finished the soup. If you need money because things are tight at home, I'm willing to cooperate with you on one condition: you must never betray me," Madelyn sternly instructed Margaret.Margaret happily picked up the bowl, made a sweeping gesture with her hand, and said, "Don't worry, Ms. Jent. I will take care of it. I'm definitely on your side."I'm just focused on Mr. Jardin's money," Margaret admitted candidly.Madelyn knew Zach could easily bribe Margaret. She concluded that if Margaret were to side with Zach, she would not have anyone she could trust in the long run."Okay. You can go now," Madelyn said, eager for some peace and quiet."Yes, Ms. Jent," Margaret nodded before leaving the room.Meanwhile, Zach received a noti
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