Alec nodded. The knife in his hands moved swiftly as he sliced up a tomato. His knife skills were comparable to that of a renowned chef.Jenny thought she was witnessing a whole new Alec."Are you surprised?" Alec turned to face her after noticing she had remained silent. She was in a daze. "I grew up with my grandfather. He was busy with the company and had no time for me. Although we had nannies, they thought that since I was young and my grandfather wasn't around, they didn't cook. So, I learned to cook by myself."He learned to rely on himself from a very young age. He learned fervently and mastered everything in life so that he could live comfortably.That was the first time Jenny heard Alec talk about his childhood. Her curiosity was piqued. "What about your parents? Were they absent, too?"His back stiffened. The atmosphere instantly turned grim. "They divorced very early on. My father left for another woman. My mother couldn't handle the heartbreak and killed herself."Sh
Alec thought that Max was pitiful. They shared similar fates, but at the same time, they weren't very similar.Although Alec had lost both his parents, he still had a grandfather—one who was strict but caring, and who genuinely loved and protected him. It resulted in Alec and Max having very different upbringings.Jenny only knew about this shared past between the Fausts and the Pearsons now. It was no wonder that every time Max brought up the Fausts, his face would twist in hatred.But could he really blame the Fausts? Even Alec?After all, Alec was a victim too.Jenny was silent. She suddenly didn't know who to feel sorry for."That's all. Eat your breakfast." Alec interrupted her train of thought. He showed no signs of upset over losing his parents. To him, that was all in the past.Jenny nodded. She followed him into the living room, and they slowly ate breakfast."You can stay if you don't want to move out," Jenny said after a while.Her expression amused Alec, and his li
Once the negotiations were complete, Jenny went back home. When she got to her door, Alec was moving out his things."Miss Jenny," Vincent greeted when he saw her. Jenny nodded and took out her keys. "I'm sorry, Miss Jenny," Vincent said. "I couldn't recognize you when I saw you."He felt responsible for it. As Alec's assistant, he had to understand everything that happened around him fully. If he had, such a joke like this would never have happened."What's there to apologize for? We were married for two years, and he couldn't recognize me. You're just his assistant. It's a given that you wouldn't recognize me, too." Jenny thought that there was no need for Vincent to apologize.He hesitated for a moment and decided to stick up for his president. "Miss Jenny, Mr. Faust is actually a nice person. He was just upset back then, which was why he didn't want to visit you."Once he had calmed down, he couldn't remember Jenny because she didn't have a commanding presence."Once he met
At Alec's words, Max shrugged nonchalantly. He said gleefully, "I can't afford to fool around with Christopher Spade.""You, Pearson? Afraid of someone?" Alec was surprised, as if he had stumbled upon something rare.Max wagged his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine. I admit that it's not because I'm afraid of him. I just think that anyone, no matter who, will get on your nerves if they pursue Jenny. Since that's the case, why should I stir up trouble?" He had already seen through Alec, especially when it came to Jenny.Alec looked at him frostily and turned to leave. He feared that if they kept arguing, he would be unable to resist throwing a few punches.Max smiled even more when he saw his reaction. "What? Are you angry?"Alec said nothing and walked toward his car.Max tagged along, saying, "Jenny probably didn't tell you that she's already agreed to work with me to take down the Dickmans. Not long from now, the Dickmans are going to disappear off the face of
Gilbert and Max worked quickly. The moment their partnership was confirmed, they eagerly began attacking the Dickmans. They were so fast that the Dickmans had no time to curate a proper response.In the president’s office in Dickman LLC, Yvonne stood politely before the table and looked at the middle-aged man behind the desk. He was berating her, and she dared not retort.“Yvonne, you’re my daughter. You should know the pressure that I’m bearing, having you in your position. My subordinates are all accusing me of letting you in through my connections. You must work harder.” The man who was speaking was her father, George Dickman.Yvonne nodded her head quickly. She looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, father. I’ve disappointed you.”“Indeed, you have.” George’s face was ice cold. He stared at her for a long while before saying, “But not because of the problems that we’ve encountered today, but rather, because of your future marriage.”“Dad…” Yvonne bit her lip. She knew what he was goin
Jenny left the hospital at eight in the evening, dragging her exhausted body to Stephanie. "Why are you looking for me so late at night? Is it good or bad news?""What do you mean, good or bad news? I just thought since we hadn't seen each other in a while, I'd invite you to dinner." Stephanie was feeling a little hapless. She didn't know Jenny got off work so late.Unfortunately, Jenny was unmoved. She didn't seem to be touched at all. "I thought you had forgotten about me since you got yourself a boyfriend."Once knowing that a man now existed in Stephanie's life, Jenny understood why she was busy all the time, so she did not ask her out as often to avoid feeling upset.Stephanie didn't continue the conversation, and it made Jenny suspect something. "What? Did you fight? You guys broke up?""What do you mean broke up? We were never together." Stephanie smiled bitterly, her words filled with pain.Jenny was stunned. "It's been so long, though. What have you been doing?""He did
Jenny put her phone away and cast a glance in her friend's direction. "Who said I was texting him? What progress can we make?""Why not? I thought you'd be touched by his initiatives." Stephanie didn't like Alec at first. She thought he'd go way overboard, but now she thought he was alright. At least he'd admit his wrongs instead of protecting his pride. It was much better than a lot of the men out there.Of course, Jenny didn't share the same sentiment. She was exasperated. "Does he think I'll accept him after a few apologies and spending a little time pursuing me? What does he think I am? A toy?""That's true. You're not like the other girls. His actions wouldn't move you." Stephanie thought that she would be swooning over him if she were in Jenny's shoes. It was Alec Faust, after all.They chatted along the way and reached the restaurant soon after.Since it waStephaniepaying, Jenny didn't hold herself back. She ordered a few dishes at once.At the same time, in the Dickman Vi
After Jenny and Stephanie had their dinner, they went back to their homes. Little did they know that Jenny was once more the target of the Dickmans. However, she need not worry. Unless she was up against a pervert like Alec, she was good at self-defense. Few people could fight her.When Jenny arrived at the hospital the next day, Christopher walked into her office unhappily. "Something's happened in Bardoff City, Jenny. I need to leave.""Alright. You can go," Jenny said."Aren't you going to miss me?" Christopher was hurt by her lack of response. He thought that they had at least bonded a little.Jenny looked at him and said calmly, "Maybe. Bardoff City isn't that far away. You can come back again once things are settled.""That's true." Christopher thought what she said made sense, and he smiled at once.Jenny couldn't be bothered to say much more."Call me if you need me. As long as the Spades are still under my control, I'll definitely help you in whatever way I can," he sai
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