It was not until he got hit in the face with an object that his mind snapped back to reality.The object that Maddie threw at him appeared to be a crystal bracelet.Cody had gotten the cheap beads off of Wish. It only cost him a few pennies for a huge bag of beads.He had made it himself, so it was, in a sense, the only one in the entire world. Still, Maddie never regarded it as something cheap and worthless. In contrast, she had always worn it as if it was made of precious gemstone.Cody started to become worried."Maddie—""Cody, let's break up."Maddie was so heartbroken that she could feel the air being sucked out of her lungs. Her tears had already dried up. Her breathing was rapid, as evidenced by the tremors in her voice.Despite the pain she was feeling, she was resolute. Her boyfriend had severely overstepped the boundaries she had set. She could no longer tolerate it anymore.Even if she still loved him a lot, she no longer wanted to keep this relationship.Cody w
The phone rang for more than ten seconds before Giselle finally answered.As the screen flashed open, the enlarged face of a gorgeous man appeared on her phone.The image was a little shaky. Chester had switched to the rear camera.Giselle was puzzled for a second.She stared at the screen, bemused. She had no idea why Chester raised his hand and walked around the room.She was waiting for him to explain.Eventually, he showed her every nook and cranny of the room, including the bottom of the bed, the wardrobe, and other inconspicuous areas as well.Five minutes later, Chester switched it back to the front camera again.He raised the phone with one hand while the other went to loosen his tie.Those exquisite hands of his were like finely carved works of art."I'm here alone. There's no one else here."That deep and hypnotic voice of his flowed out of the speaker.Giselle became slightly startled. It took a moment for her to realize that Chester was giving her a report.But
Jonathan was dealing with the wound on his shoulder in the treatment room. Beside him, Charlotte stood silently, her heart aching as she gazed at the deep, angry gash."It was all my fault, Jonathan. You wouldn't have gotten hurt if I had pulled you back in time." She blamed herself, guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders as she spoke. There were tears in her eyes, but they didn't fall. At that moment, she knew perfectly well that she would only annoy him by crying.It would be fine to use tears sometimes to improve their relationship. However, when they faced difficulties, she had to be strong. That was the only way she could achieve her goals.Jonathan's face was pale and covered in sweat. "It's not your fault." Jonathan felt frustration building within him as he spoke. He figured if someone had to be blamed, it would be his instinctive reactions.Charlotte said, "I've already told my brother to deal with it. We should never let extremists like them go that easily!"After ten
Jonathan stayed silent for a long while after hearing Jean's question. He didn't answer her until they entered the elevator together."Charlotte and I are just friends," he said solemnly. He had never thought about marrying Charlotte—even in the past. After learning what had happened, the chances of that happening were even slimmer."Friends, huh?" Jean frowned deeply when she heard that. "Do you really think you two are just acting like friends?"She had personally seen how they interacted with each other many times. No matter how Jean looked at it, they definitely didn't seem like platonic friends. Instead, they looked more like a flirtatious couple.Jonathan was already in the wrong for being so close to another woman when he had a fiancée. Could he still not understand the unspoken rules of a relationship when he was already in his 20s?There was no way Jean would believe that. Surely he was pretending to be dumb while enjoying the thrill of flirting with someone else. With th
Giselle ended the call right away, not giving Chester a chance to react. Her heart was still racing, and she only calmed down after she chugged a glass of water.Suddenly, she received a message from Chester."Rest early. Good night."That wasn't the first time he had wished her a good night. Still, it felt like it had been months since he started doing that. He would consistently send those two words to her every night without fail. At first, she chose to ignore him. However, she found herself replying to him once in a while."Good night."After putting her phone aside, she went to wash up. When Giselle returned, she noticed she had some missed calls. It was from the same number, and they had called her 15 times. She wanted to ignore it, but the number called again for the 16th time. So, Giselle answered it and put it on loudspeaker."Giselle." It was a familiar voice, and she froze while drying her hair. Suddenly, she realized who it was—Sebastian.Giselle had blocked his numb
Soon, three days had passed.Giselle had just finished livestreaming. Just as she was going through some footage to find some editable clips, Harry came knocking on her door. He was in his school uniform and looked the picture of youth. However, he had a gloomy expression on his face."Giselle, you have to help me. If you don't, I might not be able to see the sun again. I'm sure you wouldn't want anything to happen to me, right?" He explained his predicament with exaggeration. Then, he put his hands together and looked at Giselle with a pleading gaze—almost like a pitiful puppy.Giselle tossed him an apple and asked, "Well, tell me what happened first.""I'm in 12th grade, right? There's a parent-teacher conference at school tomorrow. However, I did badly in my tests this time, so I'm scared to tell my parents about it."Everyone from the Stone family was intelligent, and Harry was no exception. However, when it came to his studies, he wasn't as quick on the uptake. Instead, he
Jasmine had taken a picture in the exact same spot as Chester.When Harry visited Tony previously, he'd heard some gossip. One of them was how Jasmine liked Chester. Of course, Chester didn't reciprocate her feelings. As a matter of fact, she was basically harassing him.Harry thought she harbored wishful thinking for wanting someone out of her league. He wondered if she didn't realize that herself."Jasmine?" Giselle thought the name was familiar. After Harry explained who Jasmine was, Giselle finally recalled who she was. It was the lady who had spent millions to buy Giselle's apartment.Back then, Jasmine wanted to get closer to Chester by being his neighbor. Unexpectedly, he immediately sold his house when she bought the place. When she learned about it, Jasmine was infuriated.Harry chuckled. "Don't worry, Giselle. Chet will never like someone like her. She'll only make him hate her by being so clingy."In his opinion, Giselle was the only one who was worthy of being Chester
When Harry last saw Finley, it was months ago.She had just returned to Seaworth City from abroad and said she was going to stay for good this time. Everyone knew the reason behind this decision. After all, it was no secret that she had feelings for Chester. Although she was already 26 years old, she still made herself available for him. Thus, she stood out among the women her age.The Stones had tried talking sense into her, telling her to like someone else and that she could never be with Chester. Alas, she had been trying to win his heart for ten years. If it were possible, he would've opened up to her already.While Harry was still covered in sweat and unsure of what to do, Finley had already spotted him. She raised her hand to wave at him."Harry!" He showed a hideous smile as he approached them awkwardly. Then, he stood next to Giselle and greeted Finley. "Hey, Finley…"Upon noticing a figure next to her, Giselle finally removed her earbuds. "Hey, Harry."She hadn't hea
After Sebastian finished shouting, the entire hall fell silent.What did he just say? That the reason Wendy wanted a divorce from him was to go look for the man from that night?Wendy's eyes widened in disbelief. "A man?"Sebastian was her first love. Throughout the past 20 years, Sebastian was the only man for her. How could he say that she had some other man? This was a great insult to her!With a loud smack, Sebastian was slapped across the cheek.This blow had unintentionally dragged him back to his senses. As he watched the tears falling incessantly down his wife's cheeks, panic took over him.Sebastian loosened himself from the grip of the two policemen who were restraining him and hurriedly reached out, wanting to hold Wendy in his arms. However, she took two steps back, leaving his arms hovering in mid-air."It was wrong of me to say that, Wendy. I-I didn't mean that. Please hear me out…"Yarick did not understand what had just happened. All he knew was that his parents
Anthony had to have done this to avenge Wendy. The relationship between the two was a mystery to Giselle. However, she could not speculate. Otherwise, it would reflect poorly on Wendy."You're just an outsider, Giselle. This has nothing to do with you!"What happened did not matter to Sebastian. Giselle simply had no right to stick her nose into their business.Giselle was not upset at all. She clicked her tongue twice before saying, "Did I say anything? Stop being so desperate! Why? Do you see yourself as a coward as well?"Sebastian did not hold back as he yelled, "Giselle Stone!"Jim was the first to chide him. "Mr. Grant, this is the police station. Do mind your volume!"It could be said that they favored Giselle. How dare Sebastian yell at the apple of their eye? Now they had no choice but to use their power on him.Sebastian's frustration only deepened, and his expression became dark. He clenched his fists tightly as he tried to control his anger.Meanwhile, Wendy went
Giselle assumed Fred had seen her online. After all, her dispute with Charlotte had caused quite a stir on the internet and remained a trending topic for almost half a month. It wouldn't be surprising if Fred had come across it.Fred shook his head. "I can't tell you."He knew Chester would be offended if he spilled the beans.Giselle was confused. Why couldn't he tell her? Was it too awkward to explain?Fred kept quiet, and Giselle didn't press him further. She was here to gather information about Anthony, after all. Once that was done, she didn't intend to linger and interrupt the father-son reunion.As she left the office, she found Danny still waiting outside. "Detective Stone." Danny turned to her. His features were sharp and well-defined, and he exuded a domineering presence just by standing there.Danny was the second son of the Stone family.Though he came from a wealthy and privileged family, he chose one of the most dangerous professions. And despite his backgroun
Sebastian was nothing but a coward.Emma despised men like him the most. Who was he planning to protect if he couldn't even protect his wife and child? They sneered at Sebastian.Just as Wendy was about to call the police, her phone rang."Hello, is this Ms. Scott? This is the Seaworth Police Department. Mr. Grant has been arrested as a suspect for assault," said the caller.Mr. Grant? Wendy was confused about who the officer was referring to. Sebastian was with her, so who could this "Mr. Grant" be? Only Giselle figured out who it was. After the call ended, Giselle said, "It's Anthony."Sebastian knew who Anthony was. For the past two weeks, their household had been filled with Harold and Linda's constant arguments.Anthony's name kept coming up in their disputes, as Linda was sure Anthony was Harold's illegitimate son. She also warned Sebastian to watch out for the man.Anthony wasn't just here to meddle. He was here to fight for the family inheritance.If he was Harold
Yarick drank his orange juice, the corners of his mouth stained with ketchup.Hearing Giselle's question, he thought carefully for a moment. "Dad is nice to me."Just as Giselle and Emma thought they were overthinking, Yarick added, "Dad buys me whatever I want. But he never hugs or kisses me unless I ask him to. Mom says it's because Dad is too tired."Never initiating affection. That was weird. But why exactly…Giselle felt she needed to investigate this further. She checked her watch and decided it was time to take Yarick back to the hotel.When they returned, the argument between Wendy and Sebastian seemed to have ended.Sebastian was stood by the window, smoking a cigarette, while Wendy sat on the couch, holding back tears.Seeing Yarick come back, Wendy forced a smile. "Yarick, you're back? Come here."Yarick instinctively sensed Wendy's sadness. He nestled in her arms, rubbing his cheek against hers, showing a sensitive side beyond his age. He was a sweet child. "Seba
Children had incredibly sharp memories. By the age of three or four, they could already remember certain events.Yarick was now five years old. Although he seemed cheerful and lively, he kept many thoughts to himself.As they walked to the elevator, Yarick wiggled in Giselle's arms. "You can put me down. I'm heavy."Giselle told him he wasn't heavy but still respected his wishes and gently put him down.Holding his hands on either side, Giselle and Emma walked alongside him. Yarick kept his head lowered, his sadness written plainly on his face.Once out of the elevator, Yarick looked up at Giselle. "Giselle, are Dad and Mom fighting because of me?"Judging from the question, it was clear that Sebastian and Wendy had frequently quarreled even while they were abroad.Emma and Giselle exchanged glances before they began comforting him."Yarick, you're such a sweet boy! Your parents love you so much. There's no way they would fight because of you. Don't overthink it. Come on, we'll
The familiar voice and tone—it was Anthony. Giselle calmly ended the call, logged into her email, and found the email Anthony sent. She tentatively opened it. At the top of the email was a photo. After skimming through the text below, Giselle quickly understood the situation."What is it, Gigi?" Emma asked curiously.Giselle handed her phone over. "It seems to be information about the thugs from earlier."But how did Anthony have this information? The question lingered until Sebastian arrived, breaking the tense silence."Wendy! Are you alright? Were you hurt? How's Yarick?" Sebastian looked disheveled, his face tinged with worry. He grabbed Wendy by the shoulders, scanning her and the surroundings.However, his expression darkened when he saw Giselle."What are you doing here?" His accusatory tone angered everyone present. Wendy tried to hold herself back but failed. "Sebastian Grant! Giselle is my friend. Watch your tone!"Giselle had gone from being Wendy's sister-in-
"Why not?" Giselle frowned.She looked at Wendy seriously. "This isn't about you or Yarick. You and Sebastian aren't divorced yet, so he's still your husband and Yarick's father. You've been hurt, and he has the right to know and resolve this issue."Even if they were divorced, Sebastian was still responsible. He was the one who offended these people. Why should his wife and child pay the price? This was ridiculous.Wendy fell silent. Her hands fidgeted as she struggled with her thoughts. After a moment, she accepted Giselle's suggestions. Under the watchful eyes of both Giselle and Emma, Wendy called Sebastian for the first time in days.The phone rang for a while before it was answered. Sebastian's stern voice soon came through. "Have you changed your mind?"Sebastian believed Wendy was just throwing a tantrum by staying outside. On top of that, his work had been keeping him busy, leaving him with no time to coax her.Charlotte had warned him to not coddle women or they would b
Giselle hurried to the hotel where Wendy was staying. When she arrived, Emma was already there.Yarick was in Emma's arms, his eyes puffy from crying. The moment he saw Giselle, he struggled against Emma to get down. Emma set Yarick on the ground, and he immediately ran toward Giselle."Giselle." He looked up at her with teary eyes, "The bad guys hurt Mom."Half an hour earlier, a group of thugs had barged in and started smashing the room. In the chaos, Wendy was accidentally elbowed in the nose. She was now in the bathroom, trying to stop the bleeding.Emma had come by to speak to Wendy and learn more about her situation, only to witness the mayhem. Fortunately, she managed to snap a picture of one of the intruders.Giselle glanced at the photo and shook her head. "I don't recognize him." She bent down and picked up Yarick before giving him a piece of candy to comfort him.Yarick held the candy tightly and turned toward the bathroom. "Mom was hurt. I want to give the candy to