Why would Irene and Isaac be talking to each other, and did she really just hear Isaac mentioning a divorce?What was going on?Whitney sneaked up, intent on eavesdropping for an answer! Meanwhile, Irene hung her head, sullen as a toad—this was going to be the hardest decision she had ever made.If she left right now, she would be breaking her promise to Henry, who had basically rescued her mother and paid for her surgery. She owed him, and she would be an ingrate if she left Isaac.It left her in a dilemma, but she suddenly looked up. "Weren't you eager for a divorce? Why are you refusing now that I want one? You didn't fall for me, did you?"Isaac froze for a moment, but he soon started laughing icily. "Oh, I just want to keep you around and make you suffer! Fall for you? Dream on!"Irene bit her lip, realizing how terrible the man before her was! He would do anything just to torment her, including using their marriage as a tool! He was truly rotten to the core! To no o
Whitney's hair was disheveled like a madwoman's, and she was clawing at Irene as she yelled, "You bitch!"Irene was left stunned for seconds, but when she came to her senses, she pushed Whitney away unceremoniously!However, she forgot that she was holding her shoes, and the heel scratched a red scar over Whitney's face!"How dare you hit me back!" Whitney screamed, her eyes bulging in rage.Still, when she tried to charge at Irene again, Irene coolly warned, "Hit me again, and I'm calling the cops."Whitney paused right then, her upraised hand freezing mid-air. She calmed herself—this was not the time to lose herself. Isaac's marriage to Irene had never been announced. Did that not mean that Isaac did not like her?Moreover, Isaac had promised to marry her. Did that not mean Isaac would divorce Irene at any time?The very thought calmed her, and she remembered that she had left a bad impression when she asked Isaac for money before. What would he think of her if she hurt Ir
Irene took a step back in alarm as Harvey studied her from head to toe.She appeared a little disheveled, but it did not dull her beauty—her red gown only accentuated her womanly wiles further.His expression darkened, and the thought of her repeatedly hurting him field his impulse to seize her and give her her just deserts!Alighting, he said, "We keep running into each other, don't we?"Irene turned to run, but Harvey slid in front of her thanks to prior experience. "Where do you think you're going?"Irene turned pale in fear, because she knew very well what he wanted."Irene Spencer, was it? Did you use to play football? Have you any idea how much my nose bled after you hit me?!" Harvey snarled, because she was the first to absolutely wreck him!He approached her as he spoke, and Irene backed away, barefooted as she was still holding her heels and staring at him warily.Nonetheless, that was when Stan suddenly returned. Seeing what was happening, he quickly alighted to stand
On the other end, Stan relayed Whitney's message word-for-word without revealing the fact that he was acquainted with Irene.Meanwhile, Isaac's expression appeared to soften, and he was surprised that Whitney would ask for a favor for Irene."I'll do what I can," he replied. However, his quick response was not for Whitney's sake. Instead, he did not want Irene to stay jobless, having to present herself in a risque fashion and accompany strange men. Likewise, chatting about such… private affairs with other men online was unacceptable as well! Seeing the message with that man just now was unacceptable! "Understood," Stan said, hung up and relayed what he said to Whitney.Even so, she was not at all happy—Isaac was refusing to see her.…The next morning, when Irene arrived at the dance studio, Ms. Lang held her hands and thanked her repeatedly. "Thank you so much! Mr. Jefferson has agreed to invest in my husband's business! But… he also told me that Mr. Jefferson dragged you
What should she do? Irene could not believe that she was pregnant, but quickly composed herself and left to get an ultrasound.Through it all, she wondered if the pregnancy test results might be wrong, but the scan revealed that she was two months pregnant. "Congratulations, you have twins!"Irene was utterly dumbfounded.She was really pregnant? And with twins?!"Are you sure there's no mistake?" she asked hoarsely."Of course not. Why would there be? See here? Two gestational sacs," the doctor said as she moved the mouse cursor, outlining the area.Irene craned her neck for a look, and seeing the ultrasound left her overwhelmed with various emotions."However, I can see that you're not feeling well. You should rest more now that you're pregnant," the doctor said then."Understood," Irene replied.With that, she picked up the ultrasound sheet and left the ultrasound room. Whitney saw Irene leaving and entered. She probed the doctor and found out right then that Irene wa
On the other hand, Irene remembered Whitney's relationship with Isaac, and did not react well to Isaac's presence—not after what Whitney had done to her."I can do whatever I want. Why do you care?"She was utterly panicked just moments ago. Even though she had every intention to get an abortion after learning about her pregnancy, her rationality left her when she found out that someone was trying to hurt her children.The fear of loss—the fear of her children being hurt—had seized her.Moreover, Whitney had found out that she and Isaac were married, and must have presumed that the children were Isaac's.Was that why Whitney had tried to hurt them? Her nerves getting the better of herself, Irene forgot that Zachary was with her as she lifted her shirt.At the same time, Zachary saw Isaac's murderous gaze. He gestured for Irene to get off as he quickly explained, "I saw nothing."Once that was done, he quickly drove off, fearful that Isaac's wrath would catch him.Be that as i
Irene raised her chin defiantly because she must. "No," she retorted. Giving in, Isaac explained, "There's nothing between us, but I have to offer her special privileges after certain things happened—that's all."It was outrageous that he would explain himself to anyone, but ever since he learned that Whitney had a boyfriend, he felt nothing for her ever again.The night they shared? The tender moment? All those sentiment, gone!All he felt for her now was tolerance, just because she had saved him that night. Feelings had nothing to do with it! At the same time, Irene's eyes widened as if she had discovered some incredible secret.So he was just being nice because he owed her—there was no sentiment involved.She grinned, a marvelous idea occurring to her just then.Isaac frowned. "What are you smiling at?""Nothing," she replied, but her tone was gentle like never before, which left Isaac beside himself in shock!He looked at her, puzzled and wondering why she was acting
Irene came to her senses then, and quickly composed herself with a smile. "Nothing."Whitney just happened to arrive since it was work hours, and Irene reached for the door when she saw Whitney.However, Isaac caught her hand and said, "If you want to put up an act, you need to be thorough."Irene stared blankly at him, blinking her clear, crystalline gaze as Isaac leaned toward her.She withdrew by instinct, but Isaac put a hand around her waist and pulled her to him, smiling gorgeously as he said, "We're married, so we should act like that."Irene gulped, her cheeks turning warm as she met his playful gaze. She was left staring at his thick brows, and suddenly found her eyes as bright as the stars in the night sky. "Kiss me."Both Irene and Stan were speechless, and the air in the car seemed to turn still just then!"Whitney is right there," Isaac prompted Irene then. "Don't you want to make her jealous?"Irene pursed her lips, but steeled herself and reached out to wrap he
Soon after the wedding, Mr. Fowler proposed for Stan to work at his company to get used to the work over there.He was worried as he did not have much time left, and it would not do if he was gone before the proper arrangements were made.Still, Stan returned to Franconia with Isaac and his family, sorting out things at work and finishing every task he had on hand.While Isaac used to have a lot of free time with Stan around, he was just slightly busier after Stan left. After all, no company should operate in a way that losing a single person would stall all their operations.And after a week, Stan sorted out all the remaining tasks he had in Franconia and returned to Zidonia to start work at the Fowlers' family business.While Stan had property in Zidonia too, he moved into the Fowlers' mansion, but not as a live-in son-in-law. He was simply aware of Mr. Fowler's illness, and Rea wanted to spend more time with her parents.And as the son-in-law, he was obliged to do that much.
Despite feeling wistful, Mr. Fowler eventually passed Rea's hand to Stan. "I hope you will both cherish each other from now on."Rea told him, "We will."Thereafter, it was the usual proceedings of a wedding, with exchange of rings and vows, the wedding speech, and the luncheon!Though everything went smoothly, Mrs. Fowler could not help shedding tears.She was pleased that her daughter was finally getting married, especially since she was looking forward to this.But now that Rea really did marry, she was worried that her life might get difficult and unhappy.Such was the worrisome nature of mothers.-Later, Stan led Rea to Isaac's table.They were all acquainted, but Stan introduced everyone once again to reacquaint them with Rea.After all, she was no longer Zachary's friend's cousin now, but Stan's wife.Erin was grinning from ear to ear. "Congratulations.""Thank you." Rea smiled in return."Congrats," Baby said, imitating the adults.Rea reached out to stroke his c
Zachary said, "I heard you sealed the deal with Rea Fowler, and her family is preparing for your wedding."Stan smiled. "I'm the look of success—getting a girl couldn't be simpler. See? I'm getting married already.""Well, I guess we're all taken now," Erin said.Tommy poked his head up just then. "Congratulations, Uncle Stan.""Thank you." Stan chuckled, patting his head."Also, I heard that you're marrying into the Fowler family?" Zachary asked.Everyone turned to stare at Stan in shock, but it was understandable.Stan was not that modest that he would have to go that far—he had money and was successful enough to afford a wife.Still, Zachary—who knew the Fowlers—suggested, "To be fair, they do need someone to take care of the family business…"-Either way, it meant that Irene's family would be delaying their return trip to Franconia.After all, none of them had expected to attend Stan's wedding so soon after Zachary's.Stan himself did not expect that either, as he had
"What's the problem? We've already slept together," Rea said as she put her clothes on.She frowned as Stan was still on the bed and not moving. "What, are you going to stay in my bed forever?""What am I supposed to wear?" Stan shrugged. "You haven't brought my clothes here.""I'll get it for you."Rea remembered his suitcase then and hurried downstairs to bring it up."Wear whatever you like. I'll be waiting downstairs," she said and hurried away.Stan got out of bed and put on a suit—it was only right to dress formally when it came to discussing marriage.After cleaning up and heading downstairs, he found Rea sandwiched by her parents.Stan had no idea if she had already mentioned it, but both Mr. and Mrs. Fowler were both staring at him, leaving him further tense.Clearing his throat, Stan began, "Excuse me, but—""Yes, we agree to you marrying our daughter.""You mean marrying into our family," Rea corrected them.Everyone else was staring at her before asking all at o
If Rea asked her parents now, they would only get sad, and life would become difficult for everyoneWhat should she do to make them happy?Right, she could get married! Her parents would definitely be pleased. As for the choice of bridegroom, did she not have one readily available here?If Stan could pretend to be her boyfriend, he could definitely be her husband too.They could fake their marriage if they had to!Putting the medical file back where she found it, she wobbled up to her feet and left the room.Stan had yet to step out of the bathroom when she returned, so she sat on the bed and waited.After a while, Stan stepped out with a towel around his waist and paused when he saw Rea sitting there. "Where are my clothes?" He asked, presuming that Rea had forgotten since there was nothing on the bed or the table. "My suitcase is still in your car trunk."Rea turned toward him. "Let's get married."Stan was left speechless for a moment and soon chuckled, "Did you forge
Mrs. Fowler smacked her daughter, but while Rea thought she was angry, she said instead, "Just do your best."Rea's mind was blown—were her parents bewitched? They were completely different from before! A long time ago, her parents had used to tell her that she did not have to marry as long as she was happy.But later on, they had persistently sent her on blind dates… and now, they were telling her to seduce a man?Touching her mother's forehead, Rea asked, "Are you sick?"Mrs. Fowler slapped her hand off. "Your dad and I are leaving now.""Yeah." Mr. Fowler nodded. "The chauffeur is waiting."Rea walked them to the door and watched as their car left before returning inside.She did not go upstairs since Stan was asleep, and she would be bored—she was the type who just could not sit still.However, it was inappropriate if she left since that would leave nobody home.In her boredom, she thought of pranking Stan. She headed upstairs to find him asleep, and soundly at that.Ca
Unable to argue against her parents, Rea said, "Fine, fine. Whatever you say."Mrs. Fowler smiled. "Then help Stan upstairs to get some rest.""Which room?" Rea asked.Mrs. Fowler realized with a start and quickly said, "Oh, there's no bedding in the guest room… So let him stay in your room."Rea was left staring at her in shock. "When did you get so open-minded? Letting a man stay in your daughter's room?"Mrs. Fowler shrugged. "What can he do when he's drunk?""Haven't you heard of drunken fumbles?" Rea asked.Both Mr. and Mrs. Fowler shook their heads at the same time. "Nope."Rea was left totally speechless—this was just outrageous!She would think that Stan was actually their son, if it was not for the fact that they were not acquainted before.They were not like this before either—even if they were urging her to get married, they were not throwing her at a man like this!Mr. Fowler then said, "If anything happens, we'll demand that he takes responsibility and marries y
"I get it," Stan replied quietly. "I wouldn't have been upset even if you didn't explain yourself. But since you did, I forgive you."Rea's brow creased as she pursed her lips. "See? I knew it. We really shouldn't be too nice to you."While Stan was speechless, Mrs. Fowler was enthusiastically putting food on Stan's plate. "This is our family's favorite dish. Try it."Stan nodded after a bite. "It's good."Mrs. Fowler smiled, while Mr. Fowler poured him a glass of wine. "Can you hold your liquor?"Stan smiled. "More or less.""You're being humble now." Mr. Fowler smiled at him. "You're definitely a good drinker.""A little."Rea had enough right then. "Dad, Stan has work to do, and he has to return to Franconia tomorrow. You're going to make things difficult for him."Mr. Fowler smiled awkwardly. "Right…" "You think?" Rea huffed, snatching his wine away. "Everyone only gets to have one glass."Mr. Fowler glared at Rea. "Party pooper."Rea shrugged. "I'm doing this for your
Rea turned her head aside. "Then what's your hobby?"Stan did a double take and remembered his life… which was work and more work.It had been years since he took leave, and he would not get to goof off the last few days if it had not been for Zachary's wedding.Hobby? He certainly did not have anything like that.Now that he thought about it, his life was boring and monotonous, and he did not have anyone very close.That was why he wanted a kind, understanding wife to care and offer him company while he took care of her needs.When he looked up at Rea, he clearly felt that she was not for him—he needed someone to take care of him, but with her, he would be busy taking care of her instead."You're looking at me weirdly," Rea suddenly said."How so?" Stan asked.Rea moved closer, looking him in the eyes and asking solemnly, "Don't tell me—you've fallen for me?""You don't just suffer from a flawed personality—you're narcissistic too."Stan pursed his lips and checked the tim