Seeing that both of them had gifts prepared, Marigold felt embarrassed. She waved her hands quickly. "Oh, there's no need for those. Your presence is enough. He's still young. He doesn't need presents.""Oh, just take it. It's for the kid." Jenny gave it to Marigold. Caleb was indeed young, so his mother had to take it for him.Marigold didn't know if she should take it. She looked at Gilbert for help."Just take it. It's expected of them." They were Caleb's aunt and uncle. They wouldn't escape formalities like this.Marigold no longer refused since Gilbert put it that way. She reached out for the gifts. "I'll take care of them for him and give it to him when he's older."After the presents, everyone continued eating.The party was not over after everyone was done eating. Gilbert had other activities planned. He'd booked the entire restaurant, and all his guests could stay for as long as they wanted.After the meal, Jenny stayed by Marigold's side. She loved Caleb a lot. He was
"I don't care about that at all," Gilbert said after a moment. He knew it was hard for Marigold to give birth to Caleb and that her body had not yet recovered. However, it did not mean that he would be with her.Love wasn't as simple as that."Well, do you have anyone you like?" Zack asked.Gilbert shook his head.Zack slapped his thigh and said, "Since you don't have any other crushes, what's wrong with trying this one out? What if you guys are compatible with each other? This would be a win-win situation. Caleb aside, you could give Marigold a chance. Do you really want Caleb to have another parent?"Zack felt that since Gilbert had no one else in mind, trying to make things work with Marigold wasn't such a bad idea. If he fell in love with her, that would be a good thing.Gilbert began doubting himself once he heard Zack's reasoning. On second thought, that seemed to be the case. He couldn't help thinking about the dream he had a few days ago. He coughed dryly. "We'll talk abo
"Fuck off! You're not welcome here!"When Jenny and Marigold rushed to the pool, they heard Gilbert roaring at the woman. They were both bewildered. They rarely saw Gilbert this angry.Who was that woman?Marigold walked over quickly. She was worried about Gilbert."What's up, Gilbert?" Jenny walked over, looking at the woman.Gilbert was frustrated. "Nothing much. Just someone unimportant."The woman was upset to hear Gilbert introduce her like that. "I'm your mother, Gilbert!"At those words, Jenny and Marigold were both stunned.Mother?Marigold remembered that Gilbert was an orphan brought up by Jenny's grandfather. Why was there a mother here?"I don't have a mother." Gilbert had long since given up on having a mother. He was used to it after all these years. She didn't appear when he needed her the most, and now she was running to find him now that he was all grown up and independent. She didn't even stop to see if he really needed her anymore.The woman was upset by h
"Bullshit!" the woman roared. She was unhappy with Zack's words. "You'd be better off finding out if you were picked up by the roadside or kidnapped. Those human traffickers are counting their money right this instant!""We don't need you to tell us all this. We will investigate it ourselves." It was Jenny who spoke. She would not let anyone tarnish her grandfather's reputation. Hence, even if the woman hadn't told her to, she would have investigated it herself.The woman didn't want to indulge them anymore. To her, these were people of no importance. She looked at Gilbert and spoke in a gentler tone. "Gilbert, Mommy isn't lying to you. You were kidnapped before, and I have never given up in my search for you.""And?" Gilbert raised his eyebrows. She couldn't read him at all."And now that I've finally found you, I'd like you to go back with me and return to your family." She looked at Gilbert expectantly. She was here to bring him home.Gilbert said nothing. She continued, "And y
After she left, Jenny picked up the business card.Esther Bradshaw, Vice President of Bradshaw Operations.Bradshaw Operations?Jenny thought this was weird. She knew of this company, but it was not an impressive one in Bardoff City. It didn't even compare to the Wagners now. So where had that woman's confidence come from when she looked down on Marigold?Alec walked over too. When he saw the business card, he grew somber. "Bradshaw Operations is not as simple as they seem.""What does that mean?" Jenny looked at Alec. Everyone else looked at him, too."Bradshaw Operations doesn't look like anything much, but the Bradshaws themselves are actually much stronger than we think. They own a lot of property privately, but it's not a part of the company. That's why it looks harmless. However, if we count all their property, the Bradshaws won't lose to any of the Ten Elites," Alec said.Jenny frowned. If what Alec said was true, things would prove difficult. "How do you know this?" she
Soon, the guests were all gone. Jenny and the others left, too, leaving only Gilbert and Marigold in the hotel. Even the child was taken home by the nanny.Gilbert had a lot to drink today. Hence, after he was done sending off his guests, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes halfway as if he was asleep.Marigold walked toward him, worried. "Are you…alright?"At her voice, Gilbert opened his eyes. He wasn't surprised to see Marigold. "I'm fine. Get the driver to start the car." He'd had so much to drink that he definitely wouldn't be able to drive home.Marigold nodded and called up the driver, telling him to place the car at the entrance and help her get Gilbert out. She put her phone away and held Gilbert. "The driver is coming. I'll help you up.""I'm fine. I can walk on my own." Gilbert tried to stand up by himself.However, he had overestimated himself. The moment he stood, he collapsed to the side. Marigold hurriedly pulled him. Unfortunately, she had no strength
Marigold was perplexed. What did Gilbert mean by that? Did that mean he wasn't going to blame her?She was utterly bewildered. He felt even more unreadable to her now."Why did you kiss me?" Gilbert looked at her as if wanting to see right through her.Marigold came back to her senses and felt his gaze. "Because I liked you. There's not much reason behind it."She didn't deny her crush on him. Denial meant nothing right now. Gilbert was no fool. There was no way that he wouldn't know about her feelings for him."I thought that you would change after what happened before." Gilbert smiled lightly. After what happened, they had not contacted each other for a few days. He thought that Marigold would give up. He didn't expect that she would still like him.She bit her lip and said, "I'm sorry. I was impulsive. I didn't control myself."After what happened, she told herself not to do anything like that again. But just a few days later…Even Marigold didn't feel too great about hersel
When Jenny put it like that, Marigold understood Gilbert's reaction. She wanted to laugh. "Alright. Don't worry. I won't give up just yet."She would not give up. She hadn't given up even when Gilbert absolutely hated her. And now that she was seeing progress, all of her efforts would be wasted if she gave up now.After the phone call with Jenny, Marigold felt much better. She went upstairs, showered, then slept soundly in her bed. She was not in a hurry. Since there was progress, she felt much calmer.She slept very well that night, but Gilbert hadn't.Because of Marigold's kiss, he had a dream once more. It wasn't as outlandish as before, but this time, he dreamt that he and Marigold were having their wedding.This was madness.A wedding!Was he really going to marry her?…Meanwhile, Esther returned to the Bradshaws. When Octavius Crawley saw her, he hurriedly asked, "How was it? Did he agree to come back?"Octavius' voice was subdued. He was respectful towards Esther. Alt
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