Jenny raised her glass in the restaurant to toast the woman in front of her. "Thanks for agreeing to see me, Jade.""You don't have to be so polite with me, Jenny. I've said before that I can help you whenever you need it." Jade Weston raised her glass and clinked it against Jenny's."I know, but I was afraid I'd be bothering you. You were going into hiding…""That was such a long time ago. Maybe no one even remembers me. You're worrying too much." Jade smiled, reminiscing her past. It couldn't haunt her now.Hearing Jade's reassurance, Jenny's concerns dissipated slightly. She told Jade about the company and said, "I hope you'll come help manage this company, Jade. After all, you were once in this industry.""It's no big deal. I can do it." Jade nodded. Managing a company was her bread and butter. "However, it's a design company. It prioritizes designing. You can count on me for the business part of things, but design, on the other hand…"Jenny looked at her, widening her eyes i
Jenny rolled her eyes at the pickup line. "Mr. Pearson, I don't mind if you want to flirt around with women, but please stay away from my friends.""Don't be so heartless, Jenny. We're friends, too." Max sat down in front of Jade and smiled. "Hi. I'm Jenny's friend, Max Pearson."Jenny was speechless. Compared to her, Jade seemed much calmer. Little boys like him always amused her. "Hello. I'm Jade Weston. You may call me Miss Jade.""Miss Jade?" Max frowned. "That's like calling you my elementary school teacher."Jade chuckled. Jenny was about to speak, but then another figure appeared. She looked up and saw Alec.Alec was feeling a tirade of emotions. He noticed that Jenny had stopped talking and thought she didn't want to see him. Apologetically, he said, "Sorry. I'll take him away at once. Sorry to have bothered you.""Don't be so anxious to leave. I haven't eaten anything yet." Max didn't want to leave. It was rare for him to find someone who could be on the same wavelength
Ex-husband?Jade began looking at Alec differently. No wonder she thought something was off between Alec and Jenny."Hello, Miss Jade," Alec said exasperatedly.Jade didn't smile at him. "Don't call me that," she sneered. "We're not close." She didn't know much about Jenny's marriage, but she knew a little bit, at least. She knew that Alec hadn't even visited Jenny once in their marriage. It had angered not only her, but also the entire village.Alec saw the murderous gaze she was wearing, and his heart sank. He said grimly, "I was wrong. I didn't cherish Jenny. But now I know what I did wrong, so I wish to make up for it. I hope that she'll give me another chance."However, Jade wasn't moved by his speech. In fact, she was a little angry. "What do you take her for? Do you think she owes you a chance just because you're ashamed?""I…""The Fausts of Parrington. I've heard of you. Your family is great, but your character is nothing much to talk about." Jade was not holding hers
Melodious music filled Max's car."Alec doesn't seem as scary as those people make him out to be." Jade was scrolling through her phone, reading up about him."Don't be fooled by his appearance," Max replied. "He's only honest with Jenny around. In reality, his schemes run deep."The Fausts wouldn't have ben as prosperous as if Alec hadn't been capable."You stood up for him, but now you're talking behind his back. Are you helping him out or not?" Jade put her phone away and looked at Max.Max smirked. "Why would I help him? He's my enemy. But, even though I hate him and want to destroy the Fausts, I have to be honest. He really is head over heels for Jenny." He didn't want to praise Alec, but he had to tell the truth when it came to it."Head over heels? Would he have divorced her if that's true?" Jade didn't buy it.Max laughed loudly. "That was just a misunderstanding." Then, he told her everything in detail, especially the time when Alec had no idea who Jenny was and made a
The sudden ringing of a phone startled the both of them. Jenny came back to her senses and pulled away from Alec's lips."What's wrong, Gilbert?" she said, answering the call."Where are you? Are you alright?" Gilbert's voice sounded from the other end. He sounded anxious, worried.Jenny frowned. She sensed that something was wrong with him. "What's wrong, Gilbert? What happened?""Nothing…nothing." Gilbert was tripping over his words. He didn't know how to explain himself."What on earth happened?" Jenny was not a fool. She could tell from Gilbert's tone that something had happened.Gilbert was quiet. Then, he said, "It's really nothing much. I just fought with Marigold, and she might have gotten the wrong idea. I was worried that she would go for you.""A fight?" Jenny thought that was weird. Would Gilbert fight with someone? She'd never seen anything like that."It's just a misunderstanding. Well, if she goes to you, ignore her. Don't believe anything she says," Gilbert said
Marigold said a lot of things, but Jenny didn't understand a single word. She stared at Marigold, who was on the brink of turning crazy, and thought of Gilbert's phone call. Could she be going crazy because of a rejection?"Go to the hospital if you're sick. Don't scream around here." She was not a psychiatrist. She was helpless against something like this."You!" Marigold was infuriated and pointed at Jenny. "You're the one who's sick! You call him your brother, but you're stringing him along while getting close to Alec. You're fucking sick!"Jenny's eyebrows furrowed. Something wasn't right with Marigold's words. "What do you mean?""Do you dare say you haven't been stringing Gilbert along? If it weren't for that, he wouldn't be so fucking infatuated with you!" Marigold was determined to expose Jenny's pretense.Infatuated? Jenny thought that was an odd phrase to use.But Marigold didn't care and blazed on, as if she wanted to vent her anger in one go. "If you don't like him, w
Jenny leaned against the door, hearing Marigold's thumps and knocks. Even after she left, Jenny stood frozen in her spot, unmoving.Gilbert…Jenny tried hard not to think about what Marigold had said. She told herself that it wasn't real, that Gilbert was just her brother, that he wouldn't mix up his feelings for her. But then, she couldn't calm down. Her memories with Gilbert flashed before her like a movie. His actions, the look in his eyes… She realized the signs were all there, but she hadn't thought of him that way, which was why she never noticed. And now, after being rudely exposed, she realized that she couldn't lie to herself.She slid down the door and buried her head in her arms. A throbbing pain permeated her heart.Alec appeared outside the door. He'd waited a long time for Jenny's lights to turn on, and had begun to worry for her safety, so he came up to look. He just so happened to hear Marigold's words.He hadn't come forward to stop her because he thought Jenny
Jenny knew the passcode to Gilbert's villa, so she went right in.Zack and Gilbert were both there. They were surprised to see her, but then their expressions shifted. Zack was happy. He walked toward Jenny and said, "Jenny, why are you here so late? Did you miss me?"Gilbert also went up to her, but he didn't look as happy. In fact, he looked a little uneasy.Jenny said nothing. Zack sensed that something was wrong, and he grew serious. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"Jenny shook her head and said, "Zack, why don't you sleep early tonight? I have something to say to Gilbert."Zack seemed to have guessed what was going on, and his face turned sour. "Alright. Call me if anything happens." He turned and went upstairs, not forgetting to glare at Gilbert before he left.Gilbert could only smile bitterly. Jenny's reason for coming was crystal clear.Zack disappeared quickly, leaving them both alone in the living room. The atmosphere grew tense at once.They didn't know how m