"Here's the settlement fee—from Chris," Giselle said.A look of surprise flickered across Emma's face when she heard the name. She asked, "It was Chris who came to bail Larry out?"The relationship between the two brothers was deteriorating by the day. Why would Chris personally come and bail Larry out? On the day Emma got married to Larry, Chris did not even attend their wedding ceremony. All he did was send a wedding gift over.Perhaps they were on better terms now? No, this seemed implausible.Chris was a complicated person. Emma simply could not wrap her head around it.Eventually, Emma gave up trying to figure it out. She returned the bank card to Giselle and said, "Keep this, Gigi. I'm sorry about Larry. I didn't know he had people following me…"Had Emma not returned to Giselle's place to get her things, Larry would not have harassed Giselle.In the end, she was the one to blame.Giselle responded, "Why are you apologizing? Larry's got nothing to do with you anyway. Be
"I have decided. I will not be going even with Cody anymore. I'll be the one to shoulder all our living expenses."His money will be used to pay off the mortgage and the car, while the rest will be saved for the wedding."Maddie appeared determined as she came to this conclusion. Not a single word was said in jest.Giselle forced an affectatious smile and said, "It's such a waste.""What is?" Maddie asked.Giselle answered, "It's such a waste that I'm not a man, or I'd be the first one in line fighting to ask you out."Maddie smiled bashfully and said, "Stop teasing me, Giselle."Giselle was lost for words.All hope was gone. There was no cure for Maddie anymore. She could not even tell when someone was being sarcastic.Giselle had her fair share of meeting people like Maddie before. Those who heeded her advice had a happy ending. As for those who ignored her advice, all they could do in the end was cry in regret.The girl sitting in front of her was stubborn beyond salvation
"A reasonable amount of help is fine. But don't you see that you're like a walking ATM to him? What has he given you in this relationship?"Giselle bombarded her with multiple questions at once, leaving Maddie stunned for a moment, unable to answer her.Giselle continued, "You can take your time to answer my question. Text him now and ask him what his plans are for the evening."Maddie followed her orders without question.Two minutes later, she lifted her head and said, "Cody said he'll be out drinking with Mr. Lawson and some clients at the nightclub down at the city center."He had even mentioned the location. It was apparent that he did this to lower Maddie's suspicion. At 30 years old, he really was a seasoned veteran.But Giselle could see through his act. In that instance, Giselle locked eyes with Maddie. With quiet resolution in her eyes, she said, "Maddie, come with me somewhere tonight."…It was nightfall, and neon lights began flashing in the city center. There was
The woman's voice was full of surprise.She stopped Maddie, who was making her way toward Cody's room. The woman looked around but did not find anyone else.Maddie seemed to be out of it. She was in a dejected state. Streaks of tears that had not dried up yet were imprinted on her face. With bloodshot eyes and a faltering voice, she lamented, "Charlotte, C-Cody's cheating on me…"Just the evening before, he was holding her in his arms and gently singing promises to her, saying that he would treat her well forever. He had also said that she just had to wait for him to earn enough to give her a grand wedding and bring her home as his wife.But now, he was inside the private room, fooling around with escort girls.Maddie might be naive, but that did not mean she knew nothing at all.Charlotte cursed Cody inwardly, but she did not want to stick her nose into their business. After all, Jonathan was still waiting for her in room 4006!She straightened her white shawl and tucked he
Sick and tired of listening to her insufferable yapping, Giselle grabbed Maddie's wrist, pushed Charlotte aside, and walked forward.Charlotte's face was contorted with rage when she saw how arrogant Giselle was being.Even though Charlotte was boiling on the inside, she did not go after them.Once she saw Giselle open the door of the room Cody was in, she scurried into the adjacent room 4006.With the door closed, they were sealed away from everything that was happening outside.The dim light in the room dampened the blazing fire inside her. Restlessness soon began taking hold of her.It was Charlotte who contacted Cody this evening. She was the one who had set everything up.Considering the current situation the Grants were going through, she could no longer afford to wait until the end of the year for the engagement.The engagement date was just too far away. There were too many variables at play. If Jonathan happened to change his mind down the road, what would become of he
Concurrently, Giselle had kicked the door of the adjacent room wide open. At that exact moment, Cody had a woman in each of his arms.Maddie was livid, her entire body trembling with fury.Giselle stood behind her so that she could catch Maddie if she collapsed from shock."M-Maddie…" The colors drained from Cody's face. He unknowingly pushed the women in his embrace away, eager to rush over and explain himself.In a hurry, he knocked the glasses off the table.Maddie cried out, "Don't come near me!"The entire time she walked down the hallway, she had wished that everything was a misunderstanding. That Cody had only hired those ladies for entertaining the guests, and that he would not be touching any of them.But reality dealt her a heavy blow.Cody was the only man inside the room. And there was not only one but two women in his embrace!Maddie broke down. No longer able to hold herself back, she began crying like a broken faucet. Her sobs became more and more rapid. She lif
With the inclusion of this relationship, Maddie had only been in a relationship twice.The first relationship ended because her ex-boyfriend cheated on her.She had thought that history would not repeat itself. Who knew that it would be a double blow instead?Cody used work as a cover-up to fool around with escort girls for his personal entertainment.How revolting.How truly repulsive!Maddie's stomach churned terribly. She bent over and began dry heaving.Cody lifted his hand, wanting to go over and hold her up, but Giselle's quick hands immediately slapped his hand away.The man yelped in pain as he retracted his hand in pain."What the fuck?"Giselle shot him a glare. She wanted to let him know the pain.Jonathan began piecing things together.His interim assistant had hired escort girls under the guise of work so he could fool around behind his girlfriend's back. And now that he got caught red-handed, he was pinning it all on Jonathan.Jonathan let out a snicker bef
Just as Jonathan raised his arms, Giselle delivered a nimble roundhouse kick, effectively hitting him on the forearm.The cry of pain filled the air as Cody failed to brake in time, the glass shard clutched in his hand slicing into Jonathan's shoulder.The blood gradually dyed his shirt in crimson. Jonathan's complexion turned somber and pale."M-Mr. Lawson…"Cody was so petrified that he began trembling, "I-I didn't mean to hurt you. It's not my fault. It's all this bitch's fault!"He really was a professional in shifting the blame onto someone else. Giselle snickered. "Right, right. I used my psychokinetic abilities and mind-controlled you to attack Jonathan."She realized at that moment that she really had the talent for being a scapegoat.Giselle could not help but doubt herself. Did she really look like a pushover?People were always making her their scapegoat, and they always made it look so real. They were always so sure that she was a pushover who would not fight back
Giselle did not even care to learn how they managed to convince Charlotte to join them.None of it mattered anymore. Their plan was about to fail, after all. Did she seem that weak to them?While she was still deep in thought, there was suddenly the sound of someone kicking at the door. In the midst of that chaos, the sharp voice of a woman could be heard, saying, "Chester, I saw Giselle and Jonathan enter this room with my own eyes!"The door swung open.The bed inside was a mess, but there was no one there.Disarrayed footsteps headed toward the bathroom. Just like that, a group of people appeared in front of Giselle.Finley, who was the leader of the pack, was stunned when she saw that Giselle was still neatly dressed.This was different from what she had imagined!The calm look on Giselle's face did not look like that of someone who had just finished doing the deed. On the other hand, Jonathan, who was lying in the bathtub… looked extremely miserable.The media who had bee
The room was dimly lit.There was a thick scent of incense in the air. It did not take many inhalations before Giselle started to feel her body getting warm. She quickly covered her nose.Using the only source of light, she squinted her eyes and moved forward.Within seconds, the rough breathing of a man appeared next to her ear.The shadow on the wall was approaching her. When his hand was about to reach her, Giselle dodged to the left with one swift movement, leaving Jonathan embracing the air."Gigi…" The hoarse voice was laced with a hint of lust.The man tugged at the button of his collar as he approached Giselle once again. He was burning all over. It felt like he was being roasted from the inside. He was gradually losing his ability to think rationally.All he could see was the thin figure in front of him.Giselle was left speechless.They had cast a spell on this miserable man because they were not able to do it to her?There was no denying it. Angela and her friends
Angela, Finley, and Charlotte were rendered speechless.This explained why Giselle was able to make so many enemies. Just that mouth of hers could make people abhor her with a burning passion.What now? If Giselle did not go over, they would not be able to carry out their plan!The trio was beginning to grow anxious.Luckily enough, Giselle could sense their desperation. Being merciful, she said, "I mean, I won't go with you unless…"She was undoubtedly baiting them. There was a flash of malice in Angela's eyes as she gritted her teeth and asked, "Unless what?""Unless you let me play with your spell bugs."The moment she finished talking, the lights in the corridor suddenly came back on.Angela's face was as pale as death. How did Giselle know that she practiced witchcraft? She must be trying to trick her!Angela's petite body trembled. Still, she tried her best to maintain a calm composure."W-What spell bug? I don't know what you're talking about…""Oh, really? Then expla
The crowd was frantic.A tumult of screamings and shoutings bombarded their ears. Chester's voice was swallowed whole by the clamor of the crowd.Giselle moved forward with the flow of the crowd.There was only darkness ahead. Everyone skimmed the walls as they walked. There was a faint source of light in front of them.Before Giselle could even suppress her annoyance, a hand suddenly grabbed onto her wrist.The palm of this person's hand was slightly calloused. Her skin became a little sore from the slight abrasion.It was the hand of a woman.Giselle did not struggle against the woman grabbing her. Instead, she let her pull her forward.They were headed in the opposite direction from everybody else.During this time, Giselle had a sudden moment of clarity.The faint light allowed her to recognize the back and gait of the person in front of her. It revealed the fact that this woman was Angela.Still, Giselle remained unperturbed.As they went up the stairs, the noise and c
"Mr. and Mrs. Stone, this is my sister, Lyla."Lyla tried her best to smile. In a very soft voice, she greeted, "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Stone."Jackie had notified his family members in advance. But now that the actual person was standing in front of them, both Eugene and Moira were surprisingly calm.In short, Lyla felt like a total stranger to them.On the other hand, Giselle seemed profoundly familiar.After having compared the two, both Eugene and Moira kept their true feelings concealed.The news of them finding their long-lost biological daughter had not been made public. They had initially planned to announce the news at the charity banquet.However, they were now having second thoughts."Let's talk about this again when your brother and the others arrive."Upon hearing these words, the smile on Holly's face visibly stiffened. Things were not going according to plan.If she had it her way, the Stones would now be making the public announcement that Lyla was their eldest d
When Giselle was kicked out of the Grants' house, she had nothing to her name.Now, she seemed to be shamelessly clinging onto Jonathan, someone who had everything. Charlotte hated Giselle's guts.How could she, after leaving the Lawsons' world in shambles, be living her best, carefree life?Giselle should be having the worst, most miserable life in the slums! She should be trampled underneath Charlotte's feet forever!In stark contrast to Charlotte's rage, Giselle was much calmer.Giselle looked askance at Charlotte. With a cold and calm demeanor, she said to Charlotte, "We'll see."With the three women embroiled in the same drama, she was curious to see what interesting events would unfold.Just like that, Giselle disappeared from their sight.Finley stared at Charlotte with disapproval and said, "Wasn't what you just said to Giselle an indirect reminder?"When they first met, she had thought that Charlotte was a smart person. However, as Finley got to know her better, she r
As the head of the Lawson family, Jonathan found himself at the center of media attention, especially after Giselle and Chester's public display of intimacy at the gala. "Mr. Lawson, who is your date for tonight? Do you have any comments on your ex-fiancée, Ms. Stone?" "How do you feel about your ex and your uncle attending the gala together?" "Mr. Lawson, would you give them your blessings if they were to marry?" "Mr. Lawson…" The relentless questioning further agitated Jonathan, who was already in a foul mood. Just then, a photographer shoved a camera right in his face. Jonathan's eyes narrowed dangerously. He suddenly grabbed the camera and smashed it to the ground.The reporters fell silent. Jonathan ignored their stares and strode into the venue, his eyes scanning the place for Giselle and Chester. Despite his search, he constantly found himself intercepted by others. …In a corner of the venue, Charlotte stood alone with a wine glass in hand. As the
Giselle had only met a few members of the Stone family. The first was Harry. Despite meeting for the first time, it felt as if they had known each other for ages. Many others had also commented on how much she resembled the Stones.Giselle was always curious but never felt the need to find her biological family.Now that Chester had brought it up, Giselle found herself deep in thought. Chester quietly texted on his phone.After a while, he asked again, "Gigi, would you mind if I arranged a DNA test?" They would know if Giselle was the long-lost daughter of the Stone family once the results came back. The daughter they had searched for all these years might have been right in front of them all along. Giselle remembered Harry saying that Lyla's DNA matched the Stone family's. But the documents Chester had shown her… Something was amiss. Lyla and Holly definitely had ulterior motives for infiltrating the Stone family. Thinking of Harry's smile, Giselle agreed to Che
Chester said, "Harry accidentally spilled water on the guest bed. It's pouring outside… Can I stay at your place tonight, Gigi?"Harry grumbled to himself but eventually gave in, thinking about the money Chester had promised him. "It's all my fault! Giselle, you should let Chet stay the night." Giselle was silent. Something felt off, but she couldn't bring herself to say no. After a moment, she stepped aside. "Come in." Harry also tried to follow them inside, but Chester stopped him. "Head home now. You still have school tomorrow." Chester was firm.Harry was speechless. How could someone be so quick to burn bridges after crossing them? How despicable! After the door closed, Harry turned away and immediately pulled out his phone to vent in their group chat. "Chet is unbelievable! He used his money to force me to act alongside him! Do I look like that kind of person?" Sam: "Did you take the money?"Harry: "Hmph! I maxed out my card. Might as well take it if it's free!"