After Patricia went downstairs, Martin took a bath, changed into comfortable home clothes, and went down to stand in the kitchen doorway. Leaning against the frame, he watched Patricia bustling about with a warmth in his heart that was hard to put into words. He found himself wishing things could always be this way. Why hadn't he cherished her five years ago? For the sake of his damned pride and promises, he divorced her, leading to the situation he faced now. A man not prone to regret, Martin felt it now for the first time regarding his decision to divorce Patricia.As Patricia finished stir-frying a few dishes and was about to carry them out, she turned to find Martin leaning in the doorway, startling her: "How long have you been standing there? You didn’t make a sound; you almost scared me to death."Martin offered a thin smile and took the dishes from her hands to place them on the dining table outside. Patricia handed him the other plates. Gratefully accepting them, Martin che
With her back to the door, Patricia was oblivious to Martin listening eagerly. She talked on the phone while heading upstairs. Something said on the other end of the call left her beaming, "It's not that I haven't contacted you; it's just that too many events have recently prevented me from doing so," she said.Already fuming, Martin overheard Patricia's next words, "Dinner? Sure, when?"Martin longed to hear more, but the sounds ceased. Turning around, Patricia had vanished. He hesitated, then decided to follow her upstairs and press his ear to the door, trying to eavesdrop. Unfortunately, despite how close he got, he heard nothing.Regretting his earlier decision, Martin thought he shouldn’t have soundproofed the doors so well—now his own defenses were working against him. After several unsuccessful tries, Martin gave up, suppressing the urge to kick the door and left with jealousy burning within.Completely unaware of Martin's eavesdropping, Patricia ended the call with Hunter h
Patricia was driving, mulling over her impending conversation with Samuel, when her phone rang again. She answered using the car's Bluetooth system, "Hello…"Samuel's deep voice filled the compact car's cabin, "Martin is following you. Lose him. I don't want him involved."Checking the rearview mirror at his warning, Patricia indeed spotted Martin's car. His Maybach was two vehicles behind, maintaining a cautious distance that would hardly be noticeable unless one was looking intently.Patricia sneered, "He's Charles' father; of course, he's involved. Why should I stop him from knowing?"Samuel's voice suddenly dropped, "If you let him know, I won't guarantee my next step. You'll regret it."The naked threat clenched Patricia's hold on the steering wheel, channeling her rage. Predicting her acquiescence, Samuel ended the call. Patricia glared in the rearview mirror, recalling the authority and influence Samuel wielded despite no longer managing the Langley Group. Earning his ire was
"A woman who has had a child with another man is no longer suitable for my son," Samuel scoffed coldly. "No, that’s not it, Fannie..." In urgent desperation, Patricia almost revealed Fannie's true identity, but before she could utter another word, Samuel interjected."That's one reason; another is I do not want Martin marrying a wife who only brings him trouble and needs constant protection.”“The Langley family may not require a marriage for alliances, but I still desire a woman who is his match—not in terms of money, but in competence, intelligence, means... You're a mother; I expect you to understand." Samuels harsh words fell.The former was just an excuse. His true desire remained the latter. Samuel did not wish for Martin to have a wife who would only cause him problems and leave him to clean up the mess.Patricia felt as if she'd been plunged into icy water, unable to catch her breath; her head reeled as though everything was exploding—pain, panic, and helplessness dominated h
Touched by her vulnerability, Martin felt an itch at the tip of his heart and forcefully resisted the urge to embrace her. He then threw the umbrella to the ground, lifted her in his arms, and forced her into the passenger seat, draping his jacket over her as a gesture of comfort."Go ahead and cry, but inside the car," he said firmly as she wept, "it's raining out, don't mistreat your body."Hearing his concern, Patricia halted her tears, looking at him with wet lashes, appearing as a forlorn rabbit. Martin felt the tickle in his heart again, fighting the impulse to pull her into his arms, he closed the car door firmly, circled around to the driver's side, and sat down. Taking a dry towel from the compartment, he tossed it onto her lap."Dry yourself off first. We're going home. Everything else can wait until we get there," he said with an authoritative, husky voice.Patricia, head empty and unable to think clearly, complied blindly. Earlier, the heartache had numbed her to the c
Seeing her silent, Gavin grew angrier, his words biting like saw blades, “If you don’t come back, I'll destroy all of your mother’s keepsakes." He threatened.Thinking of the keepsakes she treasured in her room, a sharp pain clutched Patricia’s heart as she warned through clenched teeth, “Those are my mother's things, dare to touch them and see what happens!” Gavin laughed mockingly, "You think I wouldn’t dare! You have one hour. If you don't show up, you’ll never see those things again." Without waiting for Patricia’s reply, he hung up abruptly. Patricia trembled with rage. Those were the last mementoes of her mother. After her mother's suicide, her father wanted to destroy all her belongings. Patricia had struggled fiercely to save half, locking them carefully in her room. Before her coerced marriage to Martin—standing in for Debbie who fled on the eve of the wedding—she hadn’t taken those mementoes, unsure how long the marriage would last. Later, she got pregnant, Debbie retu
Patricia’s breath caught, watching the ashtray hurtling toward her. At the last moment, she swerved aside. The ashtray whooshed by her face and crashed to the floor, shattering on impact. Seeing his attack miss, Gavin bellowed in fury, “You’ve got some nerve dodging!”Heart still racing, Patricia caught her breath, a mixture of relief and sarcasm filled her response, “Why shouldn’t I dodge? Why shouldn’t I? You’ve never stopped hitting me since I was a child. Why should I keep taking it?”Gavin, with a face uglier than the devil's, approached step by step, his rage mounting with each stride as he spoke.“Remember, I only gave you an hour! You’re late, so I burnt all your mother’s things.”Patricia was startled at first, then noticed the fleeting look of triumph in Gavin's eyes and realized what was happening, her lips curling into a smile. “I’m busy and have no time to waste here. If you have something to say, speak quickly or I’m leaving.” She stated indifferent to his empty threa
With just one glance, Patricia knew that Debbie was not insane. Her act of feigned madness downstairs was just that—an act. But as to why Debbie was pretending, Patricia couldn't yet fathom."What do you want?" Patricia asked, stepping back subtly, her hand inching towards the desk lamp.Debbie advanced, her eyes bloodshot, her gaze scattered like a wild beast teetering on the brink of madness."Why?" Patricia's brow furrowed. "Why what?""Why didn't you save me?" Debbie pressed, getting closer.Patricia scoffed, "Save you?"Tears swirled in Debbie's reddened eyes. "You watched those men insult me, why didn't you save me?""I was barely able to save myself, how could I save you?"Debbie was irrational. "We're sisters. Shouldn't you have protected me to the death?"Patricia laughed at the absurdity."Protect you to the death? Who was it that got me kidnapped by Madam Thomas? And who was responsible for your own plight? Have you forgotten all the terrible things you've done to me? Why s
Martin, lost in thought and gazing into the distance, didn't see Charlotte deliberately fall to the ground when her relatives reached out to her."Ah..."Her cry successfully snapped Martin back to reality.He immediately bent down to help her up. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"Charlotte, tears welling up in her eyes, replied pitifully, "My wrist hurts so much, I think I've fallen on it again! I hope it's not dislocated?"Martin noticed the bandage on her wrist had come undone.The packet of medicine inside was nearly falling out. Anger started to well up inside him; this time, he was thoroughly enraged."Alan, take all of them to the police station, contact the lawyer, charge them with slander, intentional harm, extortion... I want them in jail."Feeling his boss's rage, Alan immediately carried out the order."Why are you suing us? We're the ones who have been wronged.""Just because you're wealthy doesn't put you above the law. Let me tell you, we won't back down without pr
Hunter looked at her with tenderness, patiently waiting for her to finish speaking.Seeing his gentle expression, Patricia found it difficult to voice the words at the tip of her tongue. Nervously she reached for the lemon water on the table and took a gulp.She drank too hastily, and the sourness made her teeth quiver, causing her face to scrunch up.Hunter was amused by her adorable expression and considerately poured a little packet of sugar into her lemon water."I remember you used to hate sour tastes! What changed? Are you not afraid anymore? Going straight for it?" he asked with a smile.With her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and faced with his caring gesture, found her words of refusal even harder to pronounce.Hunter stirred the water in her cup with a straw for a while, making sure the sugar dissolved, then handed it back to her: "Here, try now. It shouldn't be sour anymore."Patricia nodded and took a sip through the straw. The taste was a bittersweet delight.Although
Only when the phone’s ringtone broke the silence, the deadlock was finally broken.Martin glanced at the caller ID with a gloomy expression, sighed, turned the phone upside down on his thigh in resignation. He turned to Patricia, unbuckled his seatbelt, and moved closer, taking hold of her shoulders. With a serious and helpless look on his face, he said, "Patricia, I'm sorry, I admit I was too overbearing just now. But I'm being overprotective because I care about you so much, and I don't want to see you getting too close with Hunter."Care? It was the first time Patricia had heard this word from him.The anger in her chest dissipated almost instantly, and her tone softened unconsciously. "Hunter and I grew up together. When Debbie and her daughter bullied me, he was the one who protected and encouraged me time after time. He is very important to me. If a condition for remarrying you is to cut ties with him, then I can give you the answer now."Even without her saying it, Martin gues
Martin didn't give her a chance to escape, questioning every word, "So, is what Hunter said true? Are you really going to get engaged and marry him?"Patricia felt that the matters between her and Hunter couldn't be explained in just a few words, and moreover, everything was premature without having cleared things up with Hunter first.Seeing her still not responding, Martin grew impatient and urged, "Answer my question."Patricia pulled her hand back and said indifferently, "I won't marry him."That was her only answer. The rest, she wasn't ready to share with Martin yet.This answer caused a surge of joy in Martin's heart, his previously tense facial features gradually softened as he smiled like a child, unable to hide his delight."I knew you wouldn't like him." He said.Patricia rolled her eyes at him, "Now take me back to the restaurant."The smile on Martin's face vanished in an instant, and he refused without hesitation, "No, I won’t..."Before he could finish, his cell phone r
Upon hearing his question, Patricia burst into laughter, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "So what if it is? What difference does it make if it isn't?"She did not deny it.Martin took her non-denial as an admission, and his handsome face darkened like the bottom of a pot, his eyes filled with brooding shadows."I don't agree.""Haha..." Patricia laughed even harder, her snort of derision loud and unmasked. "And might I ask, who are you to me? By what right do you interfere? What does it matter to you whom I'm with? At best, you're nothing more than my ex-husband. Remember, ex-hus-band."She enunciated the words “ex-husband” deliberately, making sure he grasped their significance.Martin's normally composed brows furrowed, wrapping him in an aura of cold sternness.He was clearly displeased with these words. Then silence hung in the air, heavy and enigmatic.He spoke with grave seriousness, "Let's remarry!"As he spoke, a chilly wind blew past them, its whistling sound drowning out Mar
Hunter expected Martin to back down and leave in a sorry state.However, to his surprise, Martin’s expression was filled with pain as he stared at their clasped hands for a moment and then strode over to them.Confusion filled Patricia as she instinctively turned her head and locked eyes with Martin, whose gaze burned with fierce anger. Her mind felt like it was exploding as if something detonated."How did you get here?" Patricia asked, barely able to form the words.No sooner had the words left her lips than Martin had reached out, forcibly separating Patricia and Hunter's clasped hands. In Patricia's stunned state, he grabbed her wrist and started to pull her away."Martin, what are you doing?" Patricia's heart began to flutter with slight panic.Martin's face had been a ghastly sight just now, as if he was on the verge of a killing spree. She had no clue where his rage was coming from.Hunter quickly stood up and seized Patricia's other wrist, forcing Martin to stop. Martin turned
The doctor conducted a thorough examination of Charlotte. Her wrist wasn't fractured but had suffered from a dislocation and soft tissue damage."Mr. Langley, please hold her tightly. I'm about to reset the bones in her wrist, which may cause some discomfort. Keep her steady, and do not let her move.""Bone reset!" Just hearing it, Charlotte's eyes widened with fear, and her body trembled. Despite this, she bravely closed her eyes, extended her hand, and prepared herself for the pain. "Go ahead! I'm not afraid of the pain!"The doctor looked surprised and said, "It's going to be very painful. Are you sure you're not afraid?"His words instantly drained the color from her face, but she vigorously nodded, clenching her teeth, and refusing to voice her fear."I'm not afraid! Back when I was boarding at school, someone pushed me down the stairs, and I broke my leg but didn’t cry. I can handle this pain!" she explained."You were pushed down the stairs?" Martin's discerning eyes narrowed,
Patricia's heart skipped a beat. She knew she had been framed, again. And this woman's tactics were identical to Debbie's.Not only did she remind her of Debbie, but her methods and cunning were also the same. Indeed, Martin's taste had never changed. He always liked these hypocritical, nauseating women who could put on an act.The incident had happened too quickly; the onlookers only saw a scuffle but hadn't truly seen who had started it. They only saw someone fall and another with a hand outstretched as if pushing, so they naturally assumed Patricia was the aggressor."Professor Watson, what happened? Why did you push her?" one on looker asked."Yes, Professor Watson, is there some conflict between you two? If so, have a proper conversation about it. Getting physical in public won't do your reputation any favors." Another said."Yes! Professor Watson, perhaps you and her should talk in your office? It's not convenient in this corridor."After the incident with Debbie, everyone's vie
Martin had thought he would be calm when he saw Patricia again, as if nothing had ever happened.But in this moment, with Patricia standing right in front of him, his heart raced with intense emotions that he had suppressed for so long. It was in that moment that he realized the depth of his love for her, far greater than he had ever imagined.He couldn't bear to see her with Hunter, nor could he draw a clear line between them. "You..."Martin's lips parted as he tried to speak to her, to bridge the distance between them.Unfortunately, Patricia had made up her mind to keep her distance, and with her head bowed, she took a step back, yielding the path ahead.Martin clenched his fists tightly, struggling to contain the anger and turmoil within him. Unaware of the tension between Martin and Patricia, Charlotte flashed a sweet smile at Martin and said, “Martin, let’s go! I can’t wait to see Randy!”Patricia smirked derisively, her lips curling up."Well, isn’t that affectionate?"Marti