After the New Year celebration, Jenny spent most of her time caring for Evan in his villa. Occasionally, Alec would invite them over for dinner. Life was overall good.After the holidays, everyone went back to work. Alec's appointment as the CEO of the Faust Group was explosive news, but at least it put an end to the fight over the position. The stock price soared, proving that everyone had confidence in him.Meanwhile, Alec wasn't too bothered by the harassment from the other families. To him, those were mere inconveniences that needed some time to be settled. After he took over the Faust Group, the Watkins didn't make any move on him. After all, Blake needed to work hand-in-hand with Alec, and it wouldn't make sense to go against him.In the afternoon, Alec was busy at work when he received a call from Blake, who requested to meet up."If you have anything to say, just tell me over the phone. I'm busy." He was reluctant to be in contact with her. He really was busy and didn't wan
Alec brought Dr. Gaarder with him when he showed up at Evan's villa. Jenny was off to the hospital, leaving Evan staring at Alec with a scowl on his face. "What's going on, Mr. Faust?""Dr. Gaarder will fly home soon. Before he leaves, I hope you could allow him to check your injuries. You probably wouldn't want to be using a wheelchair for the rest of your life," Alec explained with a half-smile on his face. Evan shot him a look and noticed the ten bodyguards who came with Alec. He then smirked. "Is that so? Mr. Faust, seeing the men you brought, I thought you were here for a robbery.""Mr. Clarke, you're overthinking it." Alec smiled gently."What if I refuse to let you in?" Evan challenged him. He stopped smiling as Alec's bodyguards marched over. "Oh well, I would have no choice but to force my way in. You wouldn't want that to happen.""Alec Faust, are you trespassing on private property now?" Evan's expression hardened. Alec was unbothered as he walked up to Evan. "How co
"Alec, I know you don't like Jenny looking after me, but you don't have to hurt me in this way," Evan spoke with sorrow in his eyes. Jenny instantly felt bad for him because he was injured while saving her. Nobody would want to be confined to a wheelchair if they had a choice."Jenny, how about you leave with Mr. Faust? Howard's around, and he can take care of me." Evan decided to "compromise" with a forced smile on his face. However, Jenny would never leave him behind. She went up to him and wheeled him into the villa. "Ignore him. I'll send you to your room for a rest."Soon, the two vanished from Alec's sight. He gritted his teeth, holding back the urge to pin down Evan and force the checkup on him. But he knew better than to do that.Instead, he ordered the bodyguards to leave. Only he and Dr. Gaarder were waiting at the entrance. Half an hour later, Jenny finally exited Evan's villa. It seemed that she had helped Evan to settle down. For some reason, Alec felt bitter at the s
Jenny was taken aback once more. She was no fool—there must be a reason why Alec emphasized the background of the kidnapper.Staring at him in disbelief, she finally blurted out, "Do you suspect Evan of planning my kidnapping?""More accurately, I suspect he orchestrated the whole thing to make you stay by his side after saving your life." There was no good reason for Evan to kidnap Jenny, but what if that was never the goal? Right now, it seemed that Evan had gotten what he wanted."Impossible!" she said without thinking. "That doesn't sound like Evan at all."Alec had wanted to tell her that Evan was no saint, but he felt upset upon seeing how firmly she trusted Evan. "Maybe. But for him to be innocent, he has to be recovering from real injuries.""Alright. I got it. I'll talk to him and get him to do a checkup at a Bardoff City hospital," she suggested, thinking that having Dr. Gaarder around was unnecessary. Alec knew there was no point arguing because Jenny wouldn't allow him
Jenny held the spare key to Alec's villa. In fact, it was Alec who insisted on giving her the key, telling her to make herself at home at his place. At that time, she thought he was being too much, but now, she felt he was wise to do so.She entered the villa and rushed into the study, where she expected to find him buried in work. However, she opened the door to find him sprawling on the floor unconscious. She was momentarily shocked and failed to calm herself."Alec!" She hurried over to him. He appeared to have fainted. When he heard her voice, he stirred a little and had a baffled look on his face upon seeing her in person. "Jenny? You…""Are you sick? Where?" she questioned as she observed the frown on his face and how he pressed against his abdomen.He forced a smile and tried to put on a relaxed look. "I-I'm fine.""Alec Faust!" She looked furious. "Do you want to die?""D-don't be angry. I have a bit of pain in my stomach." He had long suffered from digestive issues. Be
Alec woke up feeling thirsty in the middle of the night. He struggled to sit and get water, but he woke Jenny up instead. "Stop moving around," she said. "Just tell me what you want.""Water," he muttered in a hoarse voice. She poured him a glass of lukewarm water but held the glass in her hand. "You can't drink the entire glass of water at once. I'll dab your lips with wet cotton swabs. Alright?" She coaxed him like she was pacifying a kid. He couldn't stop smiling as he nodded. "Sure."With Jenny around, his thirst suddenly didn't feel that bad.After carefully wetting his lips with the cotton swab, she returned to his bedside. "You can rest now.""What about you? Do you plan to look after me like this?" He was glad that she chose to keep an eye on him, but he felt sorry for her at the same time."Yeah. I'm fine. Dawn is coming soon." She didn't mind staying up. Alec did the same for her before, so she had nothing to complain about when she was in the same position.Alec
Alec didn't argue with her because he had arrived at an answer. Perhaps, growing up in different environments led to a divergent mindset between them. With her carefree attitude, she could live a good life without him.But things were different for him. Had he not met Jenny, he'd still be muddling through life. Therefore, he'd do the best for her and was willing to live for her sake."Go to sleep. It's late." She checked the time and realized that morning was near. He nodded. Even though he wasn't sleepy, he'd be a jerk to mess up Jenny's sleep schedule, given how she had been looking after her.Silence enshrouded the room as they said nothing more. Only steady breathing sounds were heard in the air.Jenny didn't return to Evan's villa that night, and he lost sleep over that. When morning arrived, Jenny called to inform him that she would not return for a while. She didn't give a reason, but she was sure he understood. He said nothing else, only reminding her to take care of hers
After Jenny left, Alec stared at the shut door with a bitter smile on his face. "Don't think too much? How is that possible?" he wondered.Without Jenny around, he could not stand even a minute in the ward. Almost immediately, he called Vincent to help him with the hospital discharge procedure. Jenny was, of course, in the dark about his action. If she learned about it, she would definitely give him an earful. He was indeed a troublesome guy.When she showed up at Evan's villa, she found Howard waiting anxiously at the door. He hurried up to her, which made her nervous. "What's wrong? He looked fine yesterday.""I have no idea. He woke up to a migraine this morning, but he kept it from you so you wouldn't worry. His condition has worsened, but he doesn't want to go to the hospital. I had no choice but to call you home." Howard's acting skill was excellent, for Jenny didn't detect anything amiss. Without further questions, she went up to Evan's room on the second floor. Howard stayed
That afternoon, Gilbert called off his engagement to the Silveras. He did not pick up a single one of Lottie's calls. When he found Marigold, she was taking Caleb on a stroll around the neighborhood. It had been a while since she'd taken notice of anything related to Gilbert. She suddenly felt how nice it was to have her mental energy spent somewhere else, no longer being so hung up on that man. However, when Gilbert appeared before her, her heartbeat quickened. "Why are you here?" Marigold said, snapping out of her reverie. Gilbert smiled lightly. Without saying much else, he pulled her into an embrace. "Didn't you say that I could come to see you once everything is settled?" Marigold was stunned. She was in disbelief. "So, what you're saying is it's all over?" "Didn't you read the news?" Gilbert was speechless. "No. I didn't want to care." Every time she saw anything about Gilbert and Lottie, she felt miserable. She'd rather save herself the pain and block out anything
In the end, Esther went with Gilbert's suggestion. However, she did not trade Bradshaw Operation's projects with Jenny. She went with the Silveras. For one, she did not trust the Walters. On the other hand, the Silveras and the Bradshaws were going to be united through marriage. They deserved to be trusted more. Gilbert didn't mind. After all, if anything happened to the Bradshaws, the Silveras would not help. With those projects in hand, they would only fall further into debt. The plan was going smoothly. Gilbert had not gone to see Marigold once. He knew that before subduing the Bradshaws, going to visit Marigold would only endanger her. After all, Marigold was safe. Nothing had happened, and Caleb was growing up healthily. One month later, things began to feel off in Bradshaw Operations. After Faust Group received their money, they did not start the project. No one knew what they were doing. Esther was feeling antsy. She prodded Gilbert to ask if there was anything wro
That very afternoon, Esther and Gilbert rushed to Faust Group to sign the deal. Gilbert said he was worried that Alec would change his mind, so he urged Esther to sign it. Only through a written contract would they be able to relax. Esther thought it made sense and agreed to rush to Faust Group with Gilbert.In the meeting room, Alec looked at the two people before him, expressionless. "You have a good son, Mrs. Bradshaw." "I'm flattered. My son had Bradshaw Operations' interests at heart. He'll inevitably be a little insensitive. Please don't hold that against him, Mr. Faust." Esther smiled. She didn't mind Alec's sarcasm because it didn't matter. As long as Bradshaw Operations could truly benefit from this, she didn't care how much Alec mocked her. Alec smiled coldly and slid the contract over to her. "You may flip through it." Esther took it and read through it seriously.If this project succeeded, they would reap massive rewards. However, it required a massive upfront inv
In the following days, Gilbert headed over to Faust Group infrequently during the day. To others, he was there to talk business with Alec. But in reality, it was a different scenario altogether. Vincent brought Gilbert a cup of coffee in Alec's office. Because of all the times he'd been there, Vincent knew what he wanted without having to ask. Alec had a cup of coffee placed before him, too. Everyone thought that Gilbert was trying to convince Alec to give him one of the shares, which was why he always came there, but that was not the case. The collaboration was a set-up. As long as the Bradshaws signed the deal on the project, they would not escape unscathed. Gilbert had planned this for a long time just to trick the Bradshaws into accepting the project. However, the scheme had to be executed perfectly. Since Gilbert buttered up the project in front of the Bradshaws, Alec had to feign disinterest in his collaboration. Otherwise, it would seem suspicious if Alec, a smart ma
After the engagement party, Gilbert officially had a stronghold in Bradshaw operations. Because he was already very capable, he had a lot of supporters. No one challenged him in the company. Most of them sucked up to him because they knew that if things went well, he would be the heir of the company.Gilbert didn't really care about that. He didn't even want to be there for long. He knocked on Esther's door and walked into her office."Come, sit." Esther was all smiles when she saw him. It was more sincere than before.She used to doubt him a lot, but now, although she still had her reservations, she mostly believed in him. In her eyes, no one would reject the chance to inherit Bradshaw Operations. This was basically manna from Heaven. Gilbert just didn't know it back then, and now he did. Gilbert sat down in front of Esther and began reporting the information he had gathered, as well as his thoughts on Bradshaw Operations and his plans for the future.When he presented the inf
Gilbert and Lottie's engagement party was held at Bardoff Grand Hotel on Saturday.A ton of people showed up to their engagement party. After all, the Bradshaws and the Silveras were pretty big names in Bardoff City, and plenty of the other families knew of their true wealth. They all came to attend the party. Jenny and Alec had both received invites. Jenny was Gilbert's sister, and on top of that, they represented the Walters and the Fausts. It was to be expected. At first, Jenny didn't want to go. The party held no meaning to it. It was just a show put on for Esther. It would be a complete waste of her time. However, she was talked into it by Alec. It would be weird if she didn't go. Zack brought Janet to the party. He found Jenny and was in a daze. "Wasn't Gilbert courting Marigold? Why is he engaged to Lottie?" Jenny rolled her eyes. "What have you been doing, Zack? You're really bad at keeping up." Gilbert had been courting Lottie for a while now. If Zack paid attention
Gilbert drove to Jenny's villa, but he was in no rush to get down. He didn't unlock the doors, either. He obviously wanted to talk to Marigold. But Marigold evidently didn't want to. "I want to take my child and leave." She was afraid. What if Gilbert and Lottie married and took her child away? She no longer believed in love. The only thing she believed in was her child. Gilbert tightened his grip when he heard that. "Marigold, the engagement is only for Esther to see. I have no feelings for Lottie." "Who knows? People change. You said you didn't have feelings for me, too." Marigold found this all very amusing. Perhaps this was fate. Gilbert wanted to keep explaining, but Marigold did not give him the chance to. "Just let me and Caleb leave. If what you say is true, you can come to find us once everything is over." And if Gilbert didn't come looking for her, the truth would unfold itself, and she would give up all hope. Gilbert understood that Marigold had already made
Marigold was miserable throughout dinner, but she persevered till the end without being too dramatic. After dinner, they walked to the entrance of the shopping mall.Gilbert went to get the car. Lottie stood with Jenny and Marigold. Watching Gilbert leave, she turned toward Marigold. "I heard that you used to like Gilbert very much." "It's all in the past. It's not worth mentioning." Marigold didn't want to talk about it. She was afraid that Lottie would see that she still liked Gilbert. Most importantly, she was afraid that Gilbert's plan would be ruined. Lottie smiled. "That's true. The past is the past. You're such a nice person. You'll definitely be able to find someone better suited for you in the future." Marigold pursed her lips. Gilbert soon brought the car over. Lottie was about to get into the car, but before she did, she suddenly turned to Marigold and said, "Gilbert and my engagement party will be in a few days' time. If you have the time, you're more than welcom
Everyone was shocked to hear her speak so suddenly. Lottie was stunned, and she explained, "You've misunderstood. That's not what I meant. I just think that if the child follows his father, it'll help him develop better, and you'll be less stressed." "I don't need your concern. I can raise my child alone," Marigold snorted. She did not hold back at all. Lottie looked unpleasant. Gilbert had no choice but to step in. "We'll have our own child together. And whoever likes it the most will get to keep it." Although they knew that Gilbert had meant this for Lottie to hear, Marigold found it extremely upsetting. She looked at Gilbert, and for a moment, she was unable to tell if he was being genuine. She thought of all that Gilbert had said to her last night, saying that he didn't like Lottie and had no intention of marrying her. But he looked to be truly in love. Marigold didn't think she could tell if he was faking it. "I'm sorry. I need to go to the restroom." Marigold didn't w