Charlotte felt Giselle's words were very insulting. She trembled uncontrollably. After a moment, she turned and threw herself into Sebastian's arms in grievance.Logically, Sebastian should have insisted that Giselle apologize once more. Yet, at that moment, he seemed to be rendered speechless.Giselle found it absurd, yet she accepted it. With the final remnants of her connection to the Grant family fading away, she realized her world didn't rely on anyone else to shine. She was the light herself.Sebastian and Charlotte fled in embarrassment, ending the farce. Giselle sighed in relief, but before she could fully relax, Chester pulled her away."Mr. Fordham…" she whispered, struggling briefly before being placed in the passenger seat. Chester placed one hand on the door, lowering his eyes, his jaw set with cold determination. "Key."Giselle looked up. "What?""Your car key."Giselle wasn't sure why Chester wanted her car key, but she handed it over obediently under his seriou
Giselle couldn't shake the feeling that she was hallucinating. Chester, being such an incredibly intelligent man, would never utter such statements. It seemed impossible.Just as Giselle exhaled in relief, Chester said again, "It truly hurts."Giselle was utterly speechless, her embarrassment leaving her unsure of where to place her hands.She avoided looking into Chester's eyes. After a moment, she quietly suggested, "How about I go with you to the hospital for a CT scan now?"She figured she shouldn't be strong enough to break someone's head.Chester noticed Giselle was feeling guilty. He held back his smile and started the car. "No need.""I called you multiple times, but you didn't respond, so I leaned over to help you buckle your seat belt," Chester explained, stopping his teasing.Giselle felt a wave of relief wash over her. As for Chester's request for her to rub his face, perhaps it was merely a joke. She had managed to convince herself otherwise. However, once she com
During her seven years of being with Jonathan, people believed Giselle wasn't good enough for him and was marrying above her station. Today, she heard someone say the opposite for the first time, leaving her feeling confused.Chester offered her a tissue thoughtfully, then opened the car door. "I'm going to step out for a cigarette."He made sure to leave room for Giselle, knowing she had a strong personality and likely preferred to guard her vulnerable side. If Chester were his partner, he wouldn't allow Giselle to face her negative emotions alone. He was cautious about crossing any boundaries that might jeopardize her trust. He was patient enough to wait.Chester stood casually by the car in the darkness, a cigarette flickering between his fingers. Since finding out that Giselle was engaged to Jonathan, he locked himself away and smoked all night. Ultimately, he decided to quit as he realized that cigarettes were detrimental to his health.It was just an excuse to allow Giselle
The moment Giselle's name was mentioned, Chester couldn't help but want to listen further.Tony scoffed inwardly. He then walked to a corner of the racetrack and shielded the microphone of his phone. "Lindsay said Giselle is pregnant, and the father is Jonathan."His words sent Chester's heart plummeting to the depths. The casual expression on his face disappeared, replaced by a stormy gloom that seemed to chill the air around him."What did you say?" he asked for confirmation in a hoarse voice. His grip on the phone tightened, and the veins on his hand bulged.Tony shrank back instinctively, feeling a chill run down his spine. He regretted not keeping his mouth shut. Half an hour ago, he had bumped into Lindsay, who was also there to watch the race.She was clearly a social butterfly. She used her connection to Chester as an excuse to strike up idle conversation. Somehow, the topic had veered toward Giselle. That was when she had casually dropped this bombshell onto Tony.At
What Giselle said was one thing, but how they carried out the operation was another matter entirely.Three hours later, the SUV came to a stop across the street from the target location.The street was essentially a strip of private clubs. Impeccably dressed elites were seen coming and going. The cleaner the facade, the filthier the secrets hidden underneath. Suddenly, Giselle's phone rang. Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the car, she reluctantly answered. "Mr. Fordham." "Where are you? I'm across the street from Luxe Haven." Giselle was surprised. She hadn't expected Chester to be here as well. Maybe he had just arrived.Her emotions grew slightly complicated, but she quickly suppressed the strange feeling. "I'll come to you," she said. Giselle got out of the car and scanned the area. She spotted a sleek Maybach parked nearby. The window rolled down, revealing Chester's strikingly handsome yet cold face.…"Mr. Lawson, could we revisit the terms of this collabo
Giselle tensed immediately. The next moment, Chester leaned in, his warm breath brushing her ear. It was a foreign sensation. "There's surveillance," he murmured, his voice soft.Giselle forced herself to remain calm, ensuring she didn't expose herself. She pointed at the woman standing at the end of the line.The unselected women filed out one by one. As the door clicked shut, Chester pulled Giselle onto the couch beside him. The room was dimly lit, its air filled with a faint sandalwood fragrance.They looked every bit the picture of a couple—a handsome man and a beautiful woman seated closely together.Chester's hand remained firmly around her waist. Giselle felt an inexplicable heat rise within her, the warmth at her waist particularly searing. She forced her thoughts elsewhere and lifted her gaze to the young woman now standing before them."How old are you?" Giselle asked.Yvonne Sullivan kept her head down, clearly uneasy in her revealing outfit. Tugging at the hem
The noise was deafening. Yvonne clutched Giselle's arm and gulped in fear. "Just say it was me who broke the camera. This way, t-they won't go after you," Yvonne stammered.Giselle grasped her hand firmly and said, "Do you really think the person taking you away can protect you?" This shattered Yvonne's delusion, and she froze.There was no time for further discussion. Giselle quickly found a cabinet large enough to hide someone and pushed Yvonne inside. "Don't come out," she instructed before shutting the cabinet door and walking over to Chester. Chester frowned. "You're not needed here." "Mr. Fordham, don't underestimate me," Giselle replied. She wasn't oblivious. From the moment they had entered the club, she had felt the weight of a gaze. It was disgusting and ever-present.Perhaps their enemy had seen through their disguise from the start.The noise outside grew louder. The sound of shouting merged with the relentless pounding on the door.Chester glanced at his p
Giselle looked at Jonathan like he had sprouted another head. "What's wrong with you?" They were nothing to each other now, yet he had the audacity to order her to go to the hospital with him. What gave Jonathan such courage?She was so angry that she laughed instead. Her eyes flashed with scorn, a look that struck Jonathan like a painful blow.He clenched his fists, and his eyes quickly filled with anger. "Giselle!" He felt stupid now. At that moment, his body had acted before his mind could catch up.His thoughts drifted back to their school days. Whenever Giselle was bullied, he was always there to protect her. With his strength, it was impossible for him to get hurt. But back then, he would deliberately injure himself in obvious places just to gain her concern. Now, he was seeing the same Giselle before him, but there was coldness in her eyes. It made him choke up, and his heart throbbed with pain.Chester had been observing the entire scene. He looked down at his phone
"Hi, do you have any candles?"Under the bright light, the teenager stood tall with a healthy complexion. Even though his features were still youthful and soft, there were already hints of captivating charm.His dark eyes carried a faint uneasiness, and his tightly clenched fingers had turned pale.Giselle retracted her scrutinizing gaze. "The property management is staffed 24/7. You can just call them if there's a power outage."Faced with a male stranger knocking on her door late at night, Giselle remained highly vigilant.Then, she stepped back. She was about to close the door when the boy suddenly fell forward with a loud thud, landing flat on his face.Giselle was shocked. Was her new neighbor trying to scam her?She called for an ambulance and crouched down to turn him over, bending her finger to check if he was breathing. There was a faint, warm flow. He was alive.Giselle let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for the ambulance. After som
"It has nothing to do with Lottie." Jonathan finally said.He downed drink after drink, his dark and oppressive demeanor making it impossible for anyone to provoke him.Oddly enough, he felt that it was a little quieter than when he was alone despite the crowded setting.Larry drank a few glasses with him. Then, out of nowhere, he heard Jonathan ask, "Larry, what would you do if your ex got together with your uncle?"Larry's brain didn't process the question. Ex? Uncle? Together?"Jon, you must be drunk. What kind of nonsense are you saying…""Answer me." The commanding tone swallowed the rest of Larry's words."If my ex got together with my uncle? I would probably laugh my head off."My uncle is a gambler and a womanizer. If she chooses him, isn't that just self-torture? If my ex found someone worse than me, I would joke about it for the rest of my life."…Meanwhile, Emma transferred the one thousand dollars to Giselle's account.Then, she texted Giselle. "Gigi, that was b
Giselle remained expressionless, though she felt the urge to laugh.Then, she typed a reply. "You already said she's your ex. Whoever she's with now has nothing to do with you. So, I suggest you mind your own business."Yesterday, in the Lawson family's wine cellar, she had used Chester to ruthlessly provoke Jonathan. She even boldly declared she'd make him call her Aunt Giselle.For someone as prideful as Jonathan, such humiliation was unbearable. He was so furious he skipped dinner entirely.Later, without consulting Richard or anyone else, he impulsively decided to get engaged to Charlotte. Of course, there was an element of spite involved."She can't be with my uncle!"The thought of meeting her in the future and being forced to call his ex his aunt made Jonathan feel suffocated.The image of Giselle kissing Chester remained vivid in his mind.How bad was it? It made him dream of the two kissing right in front of him at night. And after the kiss, they interlocked their fing
Everyone understood the words, but somehow, when strung together, they didn't make sense anymore."Did he save your life or something?" This was the phrase Giselle had asked repeatedly.She swallowed her frustration at the caller's naive words before saying, "He went out with another woman before breaking up with you. It shows that he clearly didn't respect you or value your feelings. If he truly loved you, he would have respected you and upheld the boundaries of a relationship."The commenters instantly agreed with her. "Madam is absolutely right. Don't be foolish, girl. We don't need useless men.""While you're here moping around, he's already enjoying himself with someone new.""No need to win him back. There are plenty of men out there. DM me, and I'll introduce you to some hot guys!"The woman in the call started crying. "But I really like him…""Liking him alone isn't enough. If you lower yourself to beg for reconciliation, you're just degrading yourself," said Giselle.
Giselle, Chester, and Hector were on the second floor of the restaurant.Following Hector's gaze downward, they spotted a woman who looked strikingly similar to Charlotte. She was being forcefully kissed by a man against the wall near the first-floor restroom.Giselle glanced at the scene briefly before withdrawing her gaze. "It is Charlotte."Giselle could recognize the woman who had disgusted her for years, even if she turned to ashes.Hector grew intrigued and clicked his tongue before adding teasingly, "Could the guy kissing her be Jonathan?"Judging by the build, the man seemed a bit too thin. He was also a little short compared to Jonathan. So, if it wasn't Jonathan, who could it be?Anyone within their circle could tell that Charlotte and Jonathan weren't merely ordinary friends. Would she really go out of his way to hurt his fiancée's feelings if he didn't have any feelings for the so-called friend?The trio didn't linger on the sight and followed the waiter into their p
Giselle stepped aside, causing Brady to miss. She raised an eyebrow lightly and looked at him icily. "Why wouldn't I dare?"Brady was so enraged that he lost all sense of reason. Any restraint he had about not hitting women was thrown out the window as he charged at Giselle.Just then, Lily let out a piercing scream. "Brady!"Brady thought he could overpower Giselle with brute force, but he had underestimated her strength.Giselle quickly grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder, slamming him hard onto the floor. This stunned everyone in the hospital room.Giselle calmly planted a foot on Brady's back and called the police."What do you want? Money? I have plenty! Name your price, and I'll pay if you delete the video!"Brady was in utter despair, feeling that his career was about to collapse. At this point, he didn't care if Giselle wanted money or men. He would find a way to fulfill her wishes!"Do I look like someone who needs money?" Giselle pressed harder with her fo
"Lily!"The man angrily kicked open the hospital room door, his loud voice echoing in the corridor.Giselle's expression turned cold as she took out her phone and started recording."Lily! Delete all that stuff online right now! Do you have any idea how much damage it's causing me? If you've lost your mind, go to a mental hospital! Don't drag me down with you!"Brady suddenly appeared after being busy with work for a long time.Lily's heart tightened, and she instinctively stepped in front of Yvonne to shield her.Brady removed his hat and mask, revealing the face that Lily had been infatuated with for over 20 years. Time had only added maturity to his features.But his handsome face was now contorted with rage, and the icy glint in his eyes carried a hint of malice.Lily felt her heart sink in an instant."Brady! Don't argue with me here! Yves needs to rest.""Rest? What kind of trick are you two playing this time? Let me tell you, your tactics won't work on me!" Brady let o
From getting to know Brady to falling in love, it seemed to be just Lily's one-sided infatuation.She was eleven years older than Brady. Back then, she was a highly sought-after screenwriter in the industry, while Brady was just a newbie starting out.She was attracted to his looks, and Brady went along with her desires. Their secret relationship had initially been based on a sugar mommy and sugar baby dynamic. But it evolved into what appeared to be a normal romance after Brady gained fame.From that point on, their roles reversed.Brady became so busy that he was barely around, sometimes not meeting her for half a year. This made Lily become insecure. She lost herself and became increasingly obsessive.But her tears had already dried up. Now, she was numb, like a lifeless puppet.At the moment, Giselle said, "Expose everything Brady has done."Lily never thought that her relationship of more than 20 years would end so bitterly. It felt like a thousand needles piercing her soft
Chester's black coat was draped over his arm. He was wearing a white shirt.With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his unbuttoned collar added a casual and slightly languid air.Before Jean could say anything, Chester stopped right in front of Giselle.His eyes lowered, and his long lashes cast faint shadows on his cheeks. Then, he said in a crisp, cold tone, "Ms. Stone, let's go. I'll take you home."Jean was slightly surprised. She hadn't told him, but Chester had already volunteered to take Giselle? Since when was her younger brother so enthusiastic about helping others?Jean didn't have time to dwell on it and simply reminded them, "Be careful on the way. Gigi, text me when you're home."Giselle obediently agreed and forced herself to follow Chester out. The cool breeze outside blew away the heat from her flushed face, clearing her thoughts considerably.A black luxury car was parked in the courtyard. Chester opened the car door for her. When Giselle bent down to get in, h