In the living room, Hannah stood up immediately and greeted the three people who came in warmly. Jenny felt that something was off with her. She remembered clearly that her aunt had never liked her and didn't even treat her with the minimal amount of decency the last time she came. Why was she so enthusiastic now?"Jenny, you finally came. I just told your uncle that we should go to the village entrance to welcome you." Hannah smiled and pulled Jenny over to sit on a chair.Jenny was confused but didn't refuse. She didn't want to argue with Hannah this time. As long as her aunt didn't cause trouble, she wouldn't be disrespectful."Let's eat first," David said and glared at Hannah, asking her to bring out the food from the kitchen.Hannah didn't refuse. Jenny and the others were seated while she went to the kitchen to take out the food.In the living room, with Hannah gone, David cut to the chase and asked, "Jenny, you called me yesterday and said that you were coming back because
"Let's eat first and talk later," Hannah suggested. She'd wanted to talk to Jenny about Felicity's situation. But then, Jenny didn't know what she was thinking. Seeing that she seemed reluctant to talk about it, Jenny didn't ask too much and just comforted David and asked him to take it easy. After lunch at David's house, they first went to pay respects to Jenny's grandfather. David and Hannah didn't follow, saying they would stay home to prepare dinner.At the graveyard, Jenny cleared Horace's grave of the weeds surrounding it and laid down some fresh flowers. Then, she introduced Alec to him. "Grandpa, I know you must have been watching me from heaven all these years, and now I've brought someone over. Don't worry—he'll take good care of me from now on.""Hello, Grandpa, I'm Alec, and I'll take care of Jenny from now on. You can rest assured," Alec also spoke up. Jenny talked to her grandfather's tombstone for a while more before they left.The air in Orchid Village was fresh,
The two waited at the door for a while. Alec went to find Old Mr. Faust, and Jenny walked into David's house alone."Uncle David." As soon as she entered, Jenny saw David sitting on a stool smoking. She felt a little sorry when she saw him in such a troubled state.She walked over and sat down opposite him. "Uncle David, is something wrong?"David glanced at her and immediately said with a laugh, "What could be wrong? Don't think too much.""Uncle David..." Jenny looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I heard the argument between you and Aunt Hannah just now."David's body stiffened, and his eyes reddened. "Forget you heard anything.""Tell me about it, Uncle David." Jenny could see that David was really helpless. If he had a way to resolve his predicament, he wouldn't be acting like this now. He didn't want Jenny to know, and he didn't want to ask for her help either. David always felt that although she was his niece in name, she wasn't biologically related to him, so
David nodded. He understood the rationale, but it was hard to sit back and do nothing about his daughter. Jenny came to a decision. "Think of this money as a loan from me. Get her to draft a loan agreement."Taken aback, David looked troubled. "But Felicity's pregnant. She can't work…""I am in no rush to get my money back. She can pay me back slowly, but you and Aunt Hannah cannot offer help. If you do that, you'll be doing more harm to her." Jenny wanted Felicity to earn her keep. Else, that woman would never appreciate the value of money and spend like there was no tomorrow.David understood her intention and agreed without hesitation, "Of course."After that, David called Hannah to convey Jenny's message. He asked his wife to make a trip to Felicity's in-laws and get a handwritten loan agreement from Felicity.Hannah was displeased to hear that, but David threatened her, "If you don't like the idea, I'll let her stay with her in-laws. From now on, I shall not see her as my d
Hannah and David lost sleep that night as they had a long talk about Felicity's future. The conversation was out of Jenny's knowledge.When Jenny woke up the next morning, David and Hannah had made breakfast for her. She saw the smiles on their faces and knew that they had reached an agreement last night. That was great."Jenny, won't you stay for a couple more days?" David was reluctant to see them depart on that day. He had no idea when would be Jenny's next visit."It's okay, Uncle David. I have work in Bardoff City," she turned him down. Then, she added, "If you and Aunt Hannah are free, you can visit us in Bardoff City. If you can't locate our place, just call us, and I'll have someone pick you up."Tears brimmed in David's eyes. Sometimes, he wished that he had a daughter as thoughtful as Jenny."Yeah. Your Aunt Hannah and I will visit you when we're free," David replied. Before this, he was on the fence about attending Jenny's wedding, but he finally arrived at a decision.
Old Mr. Faust was waiting for Alec and Jenny at the dinner table."I'm sorry, Grandpa. I overslept." She looked embarrassed for making the old man wait. He waved it off and gestured at her to sit. "It's fine. It's good to sleep longer for better rest. Take a seat and have dinner."The three of them took their seats and had dinner together. After dinner, Old Mr. Faust instructed Warren to bring him a box, which he handed to Jenny. "You're getting married to Alec. As his grandpa, I don't have anything much to offer. This is a small gift. I wonder if you'd like it."She stared at the box with a surprised look. "Grandpa, this…""Take it. It's just a welcome gift for you. Just see us as your family." He shoved the box into her hands. She held onto the box and tilted her head to look at Alec. He smiled at her. "Just accept it. It's a token of appreciation from Grandpa.""Alright then. Thank you, Grandpa." She accepted the gift and thanked Old Mr. Faust."Open the box. I wonder if i
Half an hour later, they arrived at the door of a small villa. The plan was to observe instead of paying an actual visit because Jenny didn't want to remind the kids of their late parents.Soon, they saw the door open, and a figure appeared. Jenny immediately recognized Lilian, who went by another name under the new family. Lilian was dressed in a lovely princess gown. She appeared joyful from the bright smile on her face. Justin showed up later, and the two played in the garden. It was an envious and picturesque view."You can stop worrying now. They look like they're living a good life." Alec embraced her. He had the adoptive parents investigated before the adoption. He wouldn't have allowed them to adopt the children otherwise. Jenny nodded. "I feel relieved knowing that they're doing well."They watched the children for a while and finally left after the children went into the house. After that, they wandered through the streets of Parrington.…At the same time, Janet was a
The man ignored Janet's response and extended his hand. "Did you say you wanted to pay me back? Pay me now.""I don't have much with me, but I can pay you part of the amount. Give me a few more days, and I'll gather all the money." Janet had some savings over the past few years, but it was nothing much because she had given most of her savings to her parents. It was impossible for her to cough up one million dollars right away. There was no way she would leave with the men; the only option left was to buy time.The men were no pushovers. When she said she didn't have the money, they grabbed her without hesitation. "Since you can't pay us back, you have to leave with us.""Where are you bringing me?" She fought back with an uneasy feeling at the pit of her stomach."You'll know when we reach there. I guarantee you'll be happy." The man chuckled evilly, sending a shiver down her spine. She knew that she'd be screwed if she followed them. Unfortunately, the men were too aggressive,
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