Naomi pressed her lips thin.Anthony looked at the box of snacks in her hand and frowned deeply. “Nelly, is that… Francisco?”Naomi’s heart skipped a beat, and she became nervous. However, she did not dare to hide it from her father and confessed everything. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Dad. I should’ve told you earlier.”“When did it start?”“Yesterday…”“That’s not what I’m asking. I want to know when you two started seeing each other.” Anthony frowned.“About a month ago…” she replied. “Dad, you told me that you won't interfere with my relationship. I like him very much.”Anthony took a deep breath and said seriously, “Yes, I did tell you before that I wouldn’t interfere with your relationship, but it depends on who you’re seeing. Nelly, Francisco isn’t suitable for you.”“Dad, I know he has a bad reputation, but I don’t care about his past,” Naomi replied. This was the first time she went against her father.Upon realizing how much his daughter liked Francisco, Anthony’s face turned
Nolan took a bowl, fetched himself some soup, and laughed out loud. “I don’t expect you to cook anymore. You’re the one who’s going to make money and feed me.”Maisie took the soup bowl and chuckled. “It’s very expensive to feed a CEO.”Nolan was about to say something when his cell phone rang. He narrowed his eyes and answered the call when he saw the caller ID. “What’s the matter?”The other party said something to him through the call, and he responded with a light hum. “I’ll be there tonight.”When the call ended, Maisie looked at him. “What’s wrong?”Nolan’s lips curled slightly. “There’s a gathering tonight, and your classmate will also be there.”Maisie knew who he was talking about and clicked her tongue. “My classmate? Isn’t he your cousin too?”Nolan became even more amused. “He’s also your cousin.”As night fell, the city became decorated with lights. The VIP Room #1 of the hotel’s restaurant was filled with well-known figures in the field. As the Cliffords expanded
“It turns out to be Mr. Clifford. I’ve heard so much about you.” Anthony raised his glass and proposed a toast.Jackie raised his glass and said with a smile, “I’ve also heard a lot about you, Mr. Topaz. Especially about your overseas collaboration in the Persian Gulf project.”Anthony was astounded and smiled. “The success of the Persian Gulf project is the joint effort between the other investors and me. They’re the ones who should get most of the credits when compared to me.”Jackie slowly finished the red wine. “Mr. Topaz, you’re being too modest.”“By the way, do you know my daughter?” Anthony took a glance at Naomi. He had seen Jackie talking to his daughter a few seconds ago.Jackie paused for a second. “Is this young lady your daughter?”He responded, “Yes, my daughter rarely attends such occasions, so I’ve been bringing her along to get her to adapt to them recently.”“I see.” Jackie explained calmly, “We just met at the dinner banquet the other day.”Listening to the
“It’s no wonder that Mr. Topaz brought his daughter over tonight. This seems to be his intention.”Listening to the comments of the people around him, Anthony smiled without saying a word.‘I do hope that Naomi will get into too much contact with an excellent man like Jackie.’At 9:00 p.m. Nolan had left the banquet and returned to the Blue Bay villa.Maisie was dumbfounded when she saw him coming back so early. “Why did you come back so soon?”Nolan undid his tie and took off his jacket. “The dinner was boring, so I wanted to come home earlier to accompany my wife.”Maisie sneered and took the jacket from him. “Why? Wasn’t there a pretty woman at the dinner party?”He hugged Maisie from behind, buried his face in her hair, and smirked. “Other than you, other women are all men to me.”She turned around and pressed her finger against his lips. “You’d better watch out for that glib tongue of yours.”He responded lightly with a hum, straightened his posture, and gently rolled up
It was probably Naomi’s first time listening to someone else praise Francisco. Naomi lifted her head and looked at Maisie. “Ms. Vanderbilt, do you think he’s a good man too?”“I went to the training camp for more than half a month back in the day, and back then, Francisco was...” Maisie stirred the soup in the bowl. “Should I say unruly and very active? But he’s indeed become a lot more mature now.”Naomi pursed her lips. “I... I didn't know him before, but I don’t care what he was like before.”“Why do you like him?”Maisie’s words made Naomi think of the question that Francisco had asked her three times before this.She lowered her gaze. “I don’t know that either. I just think that he’s a fine man.”‘Is it because I saw his kind gesture at the hospital? Or is it because he saved me from certain embarrassment by paying for my coffee at the cafe? Or maybe it’s because of that time when he helped me out when we rammed into the rear-end of someone else’s car and were almost scammed
Francisco called back after a few minutes, and she answered the call with a smile. “Hello...”After hearing something that came from the other end of the phone call, Naomi’s expression changed slightly.At the hospital…Naomi rushed to the door of the ward. Besides Francisco, a middle-aged man was also standing in the ward, his father, Eugene.Francisco had a plaster cast on his left leg, and it seemed that there was nothing serious except his leg injury. He sat on the hospital bed and glanced at Naomi.Eugene also looked over and wondered. “She’s...”Francisco replied indifferently, “A friend.”“Since you’re fine, then have a good rest.” Eugene got up and left the ward.Naomi walked over to the hospital bed and stared at him. “Are you okay?”“It’s okay. It’s just a flesh wound.” Francisco gave off a faint smile. “So, don’t worry.”Naomi lowered her head and bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry, I... I called because I hadn’t received your reply. I didn’t know that my action would c
When Naomi heard that, her tears dropped like pearls from a broken necklace. She clasped her heart in pain, turned around, and ran without looking back. Francisco saw her disappear from the door, and his heart suddenly ached. The feelings that he was suppressing made his face twitch. Samantha couldn’t hold it in any longer, so she walked into the room. “How could you do that!?”He was surprised. “Mom—”“Samantha—” Kennedy tried to stop her, but it was too late. Francisco’s face turned after the slap, but he kept quiet. Samantha took a deep breath and spoke when she calmed down. “I think you have feelings for the girl, and sending her away hurts you. What made you do that? Why can’t you deal with the issue together?”He looked down and replied after a moment, “Mom, let me deal with it.”“Let you deal with it? Do you think I’d care if you weren’t my son? Alright, I’ll let you be.” Samantha pointed at him. “You did this to yourself. Now live with it.”She was worried about her
Naomi nodded. “I’m head in then. Drive safe.”Jackie watched her walk in before driving away. Naomi walked into the living room. Mrs. Irving had prepared dinner and smiled when she saw her. “It’s time for dinner, ma’am.”“I’m not hungry. You go ahead.” Naomi walked up the stairs without looking back.Mrs. Irving put the food on the table and looked at her worriedly. After Anthony arrived home, Mrs. Irving told him about what had happened because she was worried.Anthony took off his coat and handed it to her. “I’ll go take a look.”He went to Naomi’s room, knocked on the door, opened the door, and saw Naomi sitting in front of her desk, going through a photo album. “Naomi, why aren’t you having dinner?”Naomi shook her head. “I’m not hungry yet, don't feel like eating.”Seeing how sad his daughter was, he could guess what had happened. He walked to her, sat down, and said, “Nelly, all that I have done is for your own good.”Naomi was surprised. Anthony looked down. “I kno