"Yes, yes. I'm just a poor nobody. You're so generous, but you're only transferring 20 thousand dollars?"Clearly, this taunt worked wonders on Linda. Stung by the provocation, she pressed another two zeros, increasing the sum. Satisfied, Giselle released her grip. With a look of disgust, she wiped her hands with a wet tissue, as though she had touched something filthy. Linda was shocked and collapsed to the floor. Giselle looked at Linda, who was unconscious on the floor. She then innocently turned toward the shocked doctors and nurses. "I didn't do anything," she said. The scene just moments ago had been nothing short of dramatic—an astonishing reversal of power. Giselle had everyone around her feeling exhilarated. Linda was carried out by her bodyguards. The doctors and nurses then confirmed Yvonne's condition was stable and left the room. At this moment, the room quieted down. Yvonne gazed at Giselle. She wanted to say so much, but the only words that came out were j
The temperature in Seaworth City dropped sharply as autumn set in. Especially at night, going out with bare arms and legs would make anyone feel chilly.As Giselle left the hospital parking lot, she noticed three familiar figures. Sebastian and Harold flanked Charlotte. She was wrapped tightly in layers of clothing, appearing fragile as though a gust of wind could blow her away. With the guardrail opened, Giselle casually looked away. She had never imagined that one day she'd offend every single member of the Grant family so thoroughly. But… It felt so satisfying. Even the air back home seemed to have a sweetness to it now. …Inside the car, Charlotte removed her mask and looked up at Sebastian with a pitiful expression. "Sebastian, Mrs. Lawson's coming back tomorrow. My face is still swollen…"That wretched woman, Lily, had almost destroyed Charlotte. Thankfully, she hadn't left any permanent scars, but the pain still stung. Because of it, she was making a scene in front of
No matter what was said or done now, Emma would just take it as an attempt to hide the truth.After about 40 minutes, a message from Chester popped up, "Come downstairs."It was short and straightforward.Seeing Giselle get up, Emma waved her off generously before she could even speak. "Go ahead. Go fly into your lover's arms."Giselle was at a loss for words. Sometimes, she thought that it'd be nice if some people weren't able to talk.Chester was leaning against the hood of his car downstairs, his black trench coat accentuating his tall figure. He only lifted his slightly lowered head when he heard footsteps.Underneath his dark, messy hair was a face with refined and attractive features. His gold-framed glasses added an air of grace and classiness to him.Suppressing the look of amazement in her eyes, Giselle politely asked, "Mr. Fordham, is there something you need from me?""Uncle Richard asked me to come pick you up."Giselle fell silent.Richard did say that he would g
"Giselle Stone, I've really underestimated you!"Jonathan wrapped his arms around Giselle's slim waist from behind, his low, husky voice carrying a hint of restrained anger.Giselle jumped from shock, causing the flashlight in her hand to drop to the ground and roll off to the side.The large hand around her waist was impossible to ignore."Now that Hector doesn't want you anymore, you go after my uncle? Aren't you a little too shameless, Giselle?"The two of them had appeared together in front of him more than once.He had previously suspected their relationship but quickly dismissed the idea. In his mind, Chester and Giselle were people from two different worlds—they couldn't possibly be together.However, seeing the two of them get out of the car together shook his belief, making him irritated and furious.When he saw Giselle head to the wine cellar alone, he followed her without a second thought.After sending the housekeeper away, it was just him and Giselle there.As Gi
Vivian blinked innocently, wearing an expression that made her look as if she were truly concerned for Giselle.In an instant, everyone's gazes at the table turned toward Giselle.The bewildered Giselle questioned, "I'm pregnant?"She was single. Even if she wanted to be pregnant, it was impossible to do it alone.However, Vivian's words reminded her of the message she received a few days ago. Now that Giselle put two and two together, the answer was obvious."Yeah. Did you forget, Gigi? That night, you bought that thing at the pharmacy. Lindsay and I saw you."With Jean present, Vivian called Giselle by her nickname. Vivian wasn't the least bit bothered by how appalling it sounded.Giselle frowned with disgust, whereas Vivian began her offensive again. "But you and Jon are no longer together. Does that mean that the child—"She didn't get to finish her sentence as Jean sharply scolded her, "Vivi! Don't spout nonsense!"Everyone present was smart enough to understand that Vivi
Richard turned to Jean. "I know you young people still want to focus on your careers, but I'm old now and can't handle their matters anymore!"On the whole, Jonathan was more well-behaved than Vivian.At least he wasn't wayward. If he became a spoiled playboy who only cared about enjoying himself, Richard would probably kick him out of the family on the spot.As for Vivian, Richard had already done everything he could as the grandfather of a young woman. It was hard to handle her rebellious phase.Since she was still young and her behavior could be corrected, Richard selfishly hoped that Jean could put her career on hold and spend time with her.After dinner, Jean asked Giselle to see her in the study.She took a palm-sized box out of the drawer and handed it to Giselle. "Sorry for only giving you your 25th birthday present now, Gigi."Giselle instinctively declined, but Jean firmly insisted she accept it."I know all about the ridiculous things Jonathan did. You've made the ri
Giselle and Jean had just reached the staircase when they ran into Jonathan—what a coincidence.After what happened in the wine cellar, the sight of Giselle reignited Jonathan's barely suppressed anger. His narrow eyes were bloodshot, his brow furrowing with hostility.The calm Giselle was a stark contrast to his demeanor.Even though Jean wasn't aware of what had happened between them, her instincts told her it couldn't be anything good.Jonathan didn't say a word to Giselle.Upon spotting Charlotte in the living room, he immediately strode toward her.Seeing him walk away, Jean frowned."Jonathan!" The moment Charlotte spotted Jonathan, her face lit up with joy, her features coming alive with excitement. She looked every bit like a young woman in love.Jonathan's presence finally alleviated some of the awkwardness in the atmosphere.Giselle and Jean walked over a moment later.As Giselle didn't see Chester around, she subtly let out a sigh of relief."Hello, Mrs. Lawson."
"As long as I'm alive, Charlotte will never be a part of the Lawson family! If you insist on marrying her, you can get out too!" Richard said.These words instantly wiped away the brief joy on the faces of the Grants. Their expressions darkened almost simultaneously.Richard's statement turned their visit that evening into a pathetic display of self-delusion.The Lawson family clearly looked down on them, yet here they were, desperately ingratiating themselves.Even though they were furious, the Grants dared not voice their anger. They were mindful of the Lawson family's status in Seaworth City.Jean remained silent, evidently in agreement with Richard.Tears quickly formed in Charlotte's eyes, but she stubbornly held back. There was a hint of a sob when she said, "Jonathan, don't argue with your grandpa because of me. I'm okay…"Her good girl act came again.Giselle wanted to leave but also wanted to stay and watch the drama unfold.With the Lawson family present, the Grants
Meanwhile, Giselle had just found the first-aid kit and sat next to Chester.The light in the living room was a warm orange, softening the hardened knots between Chester's forehead. He removed his jacket, leaving only a thin shirt on. "This might hurt, so bear with me."Jonathan really did not hold back one bit. Chester's skin was already fair. The contrast only made the purplish bruise even more striking and distressing.Giselle and Chester were growing nearer to each other.They were in such close proximity that he could take in the fragrance of her shampoo.Her attention was on the corner of his lips. She had cotton dipped in iodine to clean the dried blood on the area of the wound.Chester's breathing suddenly came to a halt.His Adam's apple bobbed slightly. His breath was warm, and his gaze was deep.After a while, Giselle retreated to her original position. As she kept the first-aid kit away, she said, "It's done. When you get home, try not to let water come in con
In Giselle's cold eyes, there was nothing but indifference and annoyance."Gigi, I'm in pain…"Jonathan stared at her, the emotions in his eyes flickering back and forth. His weak and vulnerable tone was completely different from the violence he portrayed earlier.He was now trying to use pity to get Giselle to sympathize with him.Jonathan thought that if Giselle still loved him, then he would let everything go.Unfortunately, reality was more cruel than he imagined. Giselle's expression did not even waver.In an instant, the asphyxiating heartache turned into a wild beast, ruthlessly tearing him apart.Jonathan's arm fell to his side helplessly. Suddenly, he staggered backward as if his soul had left him, no longer behaving as arrogantly as he had before.He should be fuming. And Giselle should also be taught a lesson.But Jonathan could not do it.He loved Giselle so much, so why was she doing this to him?"Jon? Jon, what's wrong…"Vivian looked at Jonathan, who was obvi
Jonathan called Chester by his first name. He was not even willing to address him with due respect.Jim sensed the gravity of the situation and immediately had the other officers leave the room, giving the two some privacy.With the sound of the door locking, the atmosphere in the entire room fell below freezing temperature.With tensions running high, nobody dared to even breathe.Jonathan stood in their way, his tall stature overwhelmingly intimidating.As he stood face to face with Chester, their imposing presence seemed to match evenly.Jonathan looked like fireballs were about to shoot out of his eyes while the latter's eyes were as calm as a still, bottomless abyss, ready to erase his opponent's existence without leaving so much as a single trace.Vivian was so overwhelmed that her tears wouldn't come. She was really afraid that Jonathan would beat Chester up.The current situation was way more serious than her writing a love letter to her classmate."Why should I give y
Jim handled everything professionally."Jon…" Vivian reached out, tugging at Jonathan's sleeve. "Don't let mom know. She's going to be so mad."Vivian knew Jean's temper all too well. If she had not been afraid of Jean finding out about her love letter to Harry, Vivian would not have made Jonathan come pick her up from school.But if Jonathan had not come, the consequent chain of events would not have happened.Jonathan exuded an intimidating energy as he remained silent.Meanwhile, Giselle wasn't the least bit bothered.Harry was the same. After all, he had only done what he did to stand up for Giselle. Even if his family members were to come bail him out, none of them would be mad at him."Ms. Stone."Jim turned toward Giselle and said, "You may have Mr. Fordham come get you."Mr. Fordham. Chester Fordham.Jonathan couldn't bear hearing this name.As soon as he heard this name, he would immediately recall the words Giselle said. "Well, obviously I'm after his body."Absol
She was after his body. Giselle was going after Chester for his body.Jonathan completely lost all of his sanity when he heard those words, delivering another blow to the board.He could not be bothered about the excruciating pain coming from his knuckles. Through gritted teeth, he demanded answers from Giselle."You've slept with Chester?"Before Giselle could even respond, Harry, who had just returned from retrieving his phone, ran over at full speed.Without any explanation whatsoever, he punched Jonathan in the face."Now that I'm here, don't even think about hurting Giselle!"As someone young, tall, and one who worked out daily, Harry's one punch broke the skin on the corner of Jonathan's mouth.The piercing pain made Jonathan give up all his reasoning.Immediately, the two men broke into a fight.Vivian scrambled to get up from the floor, looking miserable. She wanted to pull them apart but was afraid she might get injured in the process.As such, she just glared at Gi
When they were at the hospital the other day, Chester made Vivian feel awfully stressed. This uncle of hers was way too overprotective of Giselle.If Jonathan were to lay a finger on Giselle, Chester would definitely hunt him down. And when that time came, the fact that she twisted the truth would be revealed.Vivian gritted her teeth. The fear she felt outweighed her reasoning. Without a second thought, she rushed over."Jon, stop!"Vivian held onto Jonathan's arm. The blood vessels in his knuckles popped as he squeezed every word out with restraint. "Let go."This was the first time that Vivian had ever seen Jonathan like this. She clenched down on her molars and cried out, "No!"The siblings' double act was absolutely comedic in Giselle's eyes. She rubbed her wrist which had turned red from Jonathan's grip. Then, she turned on her heels, wanting to leave.Jonathan jerked free from Vivian's grasp, stretching out his hands as he tried to grab onto Giselle once again.However,
"Giselle, I need to ask you something."The two looked at each other. One had an indifferent expression while the other looked like they could barely tolerate this request.Giselle tried to free herself but her wrist remained firmly locked in his grip. The heat between them instinctively triggered a visceral sense of disgust in her.Her stomach churned violently, and her expression went dark. "Let go."Jonathan kept his stare on her with eyes that were deep and enigmatic. "If I don't—" Before he could even finish his sentence, he suddenly gasped in pain.Giselle did not care if she hurt him. She had swiftly raised her knee and went for his groin. Even though Jonathan reacted in time, she was too fast for him to avoid the blow entirely.The anger in his eyes surged. He gritted his teeth and exclaimed, "Giselle Stone!"This "new" Giselle felt extremely foreign to Jonathan.The Giselle he remembered was someone gentle and caring. There was never a time she would be this violent.
The moment Giselle heard Jonathan call out her name in full, a look of surprise flashed across her eyes. Had he recovered his memories?Giselle scoffed. "Am I wrong? Mr. Kendrick is asking Harry to pretend that he has feelings for Vivian and to wait until the exams are over to talk about it. Isn't he asking the kid to lie?"Harry has made it crystal clear that he has no feelings for Vivian. A clear rejection is the best solution. You're afraid that Vivian's state of mind might be affected, but what about Harry's?"Every word was carefully chosen.Even though Greg did not explicitly say it, Giselle understood his underlying intention without misconstruing anything.Harry clapped his hands as sparkles danced around his eyes. "You got it! I don't like Vivian. I don't like her now and I certainly won't like her in the future!"Vivan was not his type to begin with. What's more, after learning about the things she had done to Giselle, the chances of him liking Vivian were even slimmer
Jonathan's towering figure emerged in the doorway.Instead of his usual formal suit, he was dressed in a hoodie and cropped pants.To put it simply, he looked like a mannequin. His handsome face was as cold as ice, making him look unapproachable. As his eyes swept across the room, he suddenly paused when his gaze fell upon Giselle.The hand by his side instinctively clenched. It seemed like he did not expect to find Giselle here.He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was reminded of the ignored text and what Vivian had told him.He pursed his lips for a moment, forcing the words back down. "Now that we have everyone's guardians here, let's talk about what happened earlier today."Greg Kendrick, the homeroom teacher, pushed his glasses up and cleared his throat before continuing, "I understand how kids your age are going through a phase where you yearn for the opposite gender, but this is the time to be focusing on your studies. "The college entrance examinations