Isaac regretted his failure to recognize the right woman, and losing his own children as a result of that.The punishment was so severe that someone as gritty as him had trouble shouldering it!"She lost the other child too. Don't mention children in front of her so that she won't feel hurt." His voice was quiet but carried a hint of raspiness. Zachary sighed—he was not actually surprised. "It's a miracle to keep a twin alive when the other dies. Even if she's worked so hard to protect it, the risk of infection was just too much, and there was no assurance that the abortion surgery did not hurt her womb. Still, it's no loss—I've been telling her from the start not to keep it because she doesn't even know the father. I can't understand what she's thinking, insisting on delivering the baby anyway and raising her as a single mother."Isaac's heart could split right then.Irene did all she could to protect their child even if it risked his ire—her courage and resolve was there for al
Zachary's breaths turned ragged at the sound of the familiar voice. He tried to speak, but his throat was suddenly too dry to do so.On the other end, Lulu thought Irene did not hear her, and called out again. "Irene…?"Allowing himself a moment to steady his breathing, Zachary eventually said, "I'm not Irene."Lulu was stunned, but hung up at the next instant, holding her phone and panicking.Sheryl was watching and could feel her tension, so she asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Is Irene in danger?"She still was not aware that Isaac had taken Irene back to Cloud City, and simply presumed that she was still under Harvey's custody. Lulu could only shake her head."Well, what's wrong—"Before she could finish, Lulu's phone was ringing again.This time, she simply stared at the flashing screen without answering. "Why aren't you answering?" Sheryl asked, puzzled. "It's not Irene," Lulu replied, and left the room. Her phone was still ringing even when she arrived at the balc
Lulu laughed. "It's alright. You don't have to be cagey around me—just treat me like you would treat Irene." Meanwhile, Sheryl gently rocked Tommy so that he would fall asleep, before turning back to Lulu. "Irene is a mother now. Maybe you should consider marriage… A real marriage, I mean."Lulu had to blink back tears just then—it was not as if she thought that Sheryl was meddling. Instead, she was being emotional because that was what her own late mother had told her before. And now, her own mother could never bug her again.She smiled but did not respond to Sheryl's suggestion.…Meanwhile, Zachary arrived in Sunny City at top speed, reaching it before sunrise. There, he waited at the place where Lulu said they would meet.When it was time, Lulu appeared with Tommy in her arms.Zachary had not slept, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He did not pay any attention to the child she was holding—all his attention was on Lulu.She was a lot skinnier than before.Risi
Irene was frowning because Harvey was the one who had sent her the invitation to an art exhibition he was organizing! What was his purpose? What did he want?She could not tell."What's on your mind?" Isaac asked as he entered to find her pensive with a card in her hand. Holding out his hand, he asked, "What is that?"Irene passed it to him nonchalantly. "Courtesy of Harvey Gooding."Isaac frowned at the mention of the name, and after reading it, he asked, "Are you going?"Initially, Irene had no such intention since she was not as friendly with Harvey as she would like to think. However, to disgust Isaac and make him willing to divorce her, she said, "Yeah."Isaac pursed her lips. He had no idea what Irene was thinking, but he certainly did not want her to go—not after Harvey tried to claim her for himself on more than one occasion.Moreover, the man was hardly cultured even if he graduated from a famous university. He would not even be able to tell between Monet and Manet!
As Irene's expression turned indifferent, Isaac asked her, "Are you cold?""No," she replied simply, having no intention to say another word. Isaac was more or less dispirited by her coldness, but tolerated and empathized. She had lost their children and was in the middle of her postpartum phase, and the sheer spite she must be holding after he pushed her off a building was all too understandable.He was willing to spend some time to let her warm up to him. After helping her into the car, he got in from the other door.…Once they arrived at the destination, the chauffeur alighted and took the wheelchair from the trunk, while Isaac got out as well to carry Irene, putting her in the wheelchair along with a blanket to keep her feet warm.Irene looked up and thought then that Harvey knew how to pick a good spot: the Old Gates of Cloud City was a national heritage site, preserved through the ages. One could smell the history just from standing there!As Isaac wheeled her inside,
Harvey was provoking and bragging at Isaac, which left Irene feeling unusually guilty, though she had no idea why she felt that way. Meanwhile, it turned out that Harvey had invited everyone rich and important to the art exhibition. While it appeared to be a grand occasion, many artists who had some degree of reputation could put together something like that as well. One should mention here that the works of anonymous artists tend not to receive admiration, let alone be bought at overpriced rates.As such, since most of the art pieces on show had no signatures, someone asked, "Harvey, where did you find these paintings? There's no signature or anything…" Harvey simply smiled. "Patience. You will soon understand the value of these pieces.""You had better not disappoint us. I would acknowledge the skill and aesthetic of the pieces, but if the artist is unknown, it will never be up to standard."Harvey kept smiling. "Now that depends on…" He allowed his voice to trailed off
Harvey had made the arrangement to force Isaac into making a higher bid.Whatever happened, he would make sure to slice a fat chunk of money from that man, because it took one to know one!It did not even matter if Isaac loved Irene—given the man's usual style, he would never allow a portrait of his own wife to fall into a stranger's hands.Moreover, it was proof that he was cucked, since Irene was pregnant with another man's child. The portrait was simply a reminder to Isaac that she had been with another man, even bearing her child!He had a hunch that once Isaac brought it home, he would tear it into pieces!Meanwhile, the crowd was in utter chaos.Everyone present was rich, but it was not as if their money was made out of thin air!Was that simple portrait worth over 41 million? They just could not understand!Moreover, Isaac was a champion who would never suffer losses when it comes to business, and the fact that he would spend that much money to buy that painting made eve
At that moment, Harvey realized that he had actually forgotten about that little fact. Back when the painting was done, he had promised to give it to Irene for free.Still, under the impression that she was on his side, he asked, "Shall we speak in private?"After all, Isaac had pushed her off a building, leaving her with a broken foot. Reasonably speaking, she must hate him, and the fact that he was conning so much money from Isaac should please him."We can talk here," Irene said, but she certainly did not protest that Harvey was tricking Isaac for his money. However, she felt as if Harvey was using her, and she should get a cut. She never valued money that much before, but circumstances were different now—she had no income, and she needed a lot of money for Tommy and her mother's living expenses. She must think for their sake.Harvey could see what she was getting at, and simply said right in Isaac's face, "30 percent. How about that?"He had lost too much money becau