Lynette almost lost it a few times and wanted to beat up the rascal, but she couldn't because Eric doted on his son."Eric Dafoe, have you never told your son what actually happened? You pressured the Bells for my hand in marriage. Did you think I'd marry you otherwise?" She was truly angered. After being forced to marry Eric, Eric's son accused her of being a mistress, and she refused to take that lying down.Eric's expression soured. "You said you didn't want to marry me? Who would you prefer, then? Graham Walter?"She shouldn't take his silence on the way back home as his forgiveness."Eric Dafoe! Your son is slandering me!" She jumped in anger."Why are you taking him seriously?" Eric countered as though the twenty-year-old Pete was still a child.Lynette gritted her teeth and came to a realization when she glowered at the father and son. "Sure, I shouldn't take him too seriously. I'm a fool for expecting you to speak up for me. You'd rather have me accused than get yourself
In the end, Pete left the mansion in a storm of rage, and one wondered if he had taken Lynette's words to heart.Just as she let out a sigh of relief, Eric went up to the second floor and stood in front of her. Before she could speak to him, he grabbed her by the neck. "So, did you meet Graham Walter? Did he get intimate with you?"It turned out that Eric wasn't as unbothered as he appeared on the surface. To him, Lynette was his woman, and regardless of whether he actually loved her, no other man should touch her. He was silent on their way home because he was figuring out a way to teach her a lesson. What could be done to scare her into not seeing men behind his back?After racking his brains, he concluded that a beating was the most effective."Let go of me!" Her attempts to push him away were futile. "Eric Dafoe, you're a sick man!""Yeah, this isn't your first day knowing that about me, is it?" he was as calm as water, but he tightened his grip on her neck, and she instantly
Jenny put aside her cutlery and stared at Graham defeatedly. "I had not seen her at all when I was a kid. Now, you want me to call her 'Mom'? I can't do that.""I know, and I hope you won't resent her. It's all my fault that she had to leave." Things wouldn't have ended this way if he were capable enough to keep Lynette by her side. Jenny didn't seem to mind as she brushed it off. "Both of you shouldn't feel guilty at all. I was living a good life at Orchid Village. And you hired all those teachers to give me lessons. You played a role in shaping my success today."Although Graham had never once visited her at the village, she found the teachers he hired very helpful and meaningful. "It's my duty." He wallowed in regret, even though it was too late. The conversation ended there. Jenny quickly changed the topic. "You'd better not go out in the next few days. Eric Dafoe would probably send his men. We've strengthened the security here at the villa. You'll be safe if you stay insi
After an excruciatingly lengthy silence, Pete gave in and asked, "When did you recognize me?""First of all, you bear some resemblance to your father," she explained. "Secondly, I looked into the Dafoes before this. Not only do I know you well, I am privy to the matters of all your family members." If people in the Dafoe family tree stood before her, she might recognize and name them better than Pete could.At this point, Pete's smile was wiped off his smug face, but he soon emerged from his silence as he recalled the main goal of his meeting with Jenny. "Is that so? That's great. I don't even have to introduce you to all of them next time.""What?" She was perplexed, as though she hadn't figured out the meaning behind his words."I think you're a lovely young lady. Since I'm single, I shall allow you to date me." He sounded rather frivolous and seemed to believe that it was Jenny's good fortune to have a chance at dating him.This time, she burst out laughing. "Are all the Dafoes
Pete gathered himself with a shocked look on his face. "Aren't you going home? Are you not worried that your dad is dying?""Don't worry. He won't die." She sounded confident because she had made the security arrangements according to her investigation into the Dafoes' dispatchable security.As long as Eric Dafoe did not send his full force, the villa would be safe. And she was confident that Eric wouldn't do so, because he wanted to get rid of Graham with his own hands."So, Mr. Dafoe, is my proposal attractive?" She was more interested in Pete's reply. He looked at her with a seriousness that replaced his flippant attitude from earlier. "Why would I listen to you and go up against my father? I'll be taking over the family sooner or later.""Oh. Are you sure?" Jenny flashed him a knowing smile and furnished him with a few photos from her bag. "Your father bore a few children with his mistresses. Every one of them is more capable than you. You're still the eldest son and heir of
Jenny was ready to leave, but she was not leaving alone. Looking at Pete, she requested, "Now, please send me home.""Are you asking me to send you home?" He furrowed his brows, displeased at her orders. She smiled and added, "Eric Dafoe's men are watching me nearby. They will make a move once I walk out alone. I'm not scared of them, but I don't like wasting my time warding them off. I need to get home as soon as possible to check on my dad. Got it?"Pete, who was initially confused, finally understood the situation. "Are you using me?""How can you say that? As partners, you should ensure my safety. Don't you think so?" She lifted a brow at him, feeling completely justified. Pete was unhappy but had to follow her instructions. After all, the last thing he wanted was to see Jenny harmed. They left the lounge and got into his sports car.Eric's men were caught by surprise. "That…that woman is with Mr. Pete. Do we still make a move?""Of course not, stupid! We'd be damned if we
When they wrapped up the long kiss, Jenny playfully glared at him. "You're shameless!" Alec had pretended to be upset just so he could take advantage of her."I don't mind acting shamelessly in front of you." He held her and refused to let go.Suddenly, they jumped at the wry cough from the second floor. Jenny immediately broke free from Alec's arms. Graham descended from the stairs, acting as though he didn't witness the intimate act. "Jenny, you're home. Did you run into any trouble?""Dad, I'm fine. How about you? You're not in shock, are you?" She collected herself, putting the attack at the back of her mind. Graham joined them in the living room and sat across from them. "This is not my first time—I'm experienced. Why would I be in shock?""Sure, you're amazing," she jokingly complimented him. After that, she told him about the suggestion to work with Pete Dafoe, to which he responded with worry. "Will he agree to it? Eric is his father, after all. Any average man will not
Pete chuckled after Lynette fled to her room. He never bothered to mask his distaste for her, a fact that he made known ever since she joined the family."What exactly are you up to?" Eric fixed his eyes on his son in an attempt to read him. Alas, he realized belatedly that Pete, the son whom he had neglected, had grown into an unreadable young man.Pete sat on the couch and said casually, "What else can I do? I just want to make her suffer.""And you find that interesting?" Eric never bothered to explain the reason behind the divorce to Pete. He was too lazy to lay it out, even though everyone was clear about the reason. Instead, he sat back and watched as Pete released his anger on Lynette.Pete chuckled again. "Of course. She's very interesting.""Hah. Whatever." Eric couldn't care less about what Pete had in store for Jenny. In his eyes, she was no different than a dead woman. However, he cautioned, "I need to warn you about Jenny Walter. She's no average woman. You'd better b
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