Jenny understood Alec's words, but she still felt upset. "Maybe. I just can't accept this so quickly.""Take your time. Just don't take it too seriously," Alec said.After they had done the dishes, Jenny felt tired. She looked at Alec, still in the living room, and asked, "Aren't you leaving?""It's so late. Aren't you going to let me stay the night?" he said, smiling."What do you think?" She raised her eyebrows and clenched her fists as if she'd strike any second.He stepped backward at once. "I'm joking. I'll leave." He was already walking toward the door. Jenny felt a little awkward. "Well, if you don't want to go back to the mansion, you can stay next door. I actually didn't want you to move out," she said and regretted her words at once. Why was she telling him this? Did she want to see him every day?Alec had no clue about her inner turmoil, and his smile broadened. "For real? You won't move out if I stay next door, will you?""Why would I? I paid for this house. I'll l
"Are you only realizing it now?" Stephanie smiled. She thought she'd been making it clear.Paul looked at her for a moment before saying, "Cut the crap. I don't want to do anything to the Walkers, so come with me. Don't get under my skin." He was losing his patience."Paul Wagner!" Stephanie gnashed her teeth, glaring at him. "Still fooling around? Do you think I'm joking? Do you think I still like you?" There was a fire in her heart that begged to be released.Paul said nothing, but Stephanie's eyes told him everything. That was exactly what he thought.Stephanie was furious. "I don't like you anymore, so please, don't let me see you again. Do you understand?""Yeah," he replied calmly. Stephanie didn't know if he truly understood or was choosing not to. Seeing that he still wasn't planning on leaving, Stephanie asked, "What are you still standing here for? The Walkers don't welcome you." Her words were unpleasant to hear. She tore down Pauk's pride, thinking that bruising his
Dream Vonne Designs had its name officially changed to La Vie Jen Rose. Jenny had considered the name for one whole night before finally landing on one that sounded good. She kind of understood why Yvonne would name it Dream Vonne now. It turned out that naming things was not an easy feat.The name was changed, and because of Jade, the company was soon in full motion. Right now, what Jenny needed to do was to create stunning designs that would help spread the name of La Vie Jen Rose.Jenny didn't need to go to the hospital on the weekends. She stayed at home, keeping herself busy. Placed before her was a pile of paper that she had drawn on throughout the night. If Jade were around, she'd say something about Jenny surpassing her, but Jenny didn't feel that way.She held up a sheet of paper from the table. It wasn't what she wanted. But what should La Vie Jen Rose's style be?In the middle of her fog, the doorbell rang. Jenny sensed that it was Alec and opened the door. She was right
Jenny was suddenly filled with enthusiasm. The vision she had in mind was becoming clearer, and the style she was looking for was at the tip of her fingers. Without finishing her breakfast, she headed to her desk, picked up a pen, and started sketching. Soon, she presented a complete design to Alec, who brightened up when he saw it. "What do you think? Would you buy it?" Jenny couldn't help asking Alec. After all, he was the only person around her. Alec shook his head, and Jenny was disappointed. Then, he said, "I wouldn't buy it, but my girlfriend probably would." Jenny didn't understand what he was trying to say. "This style is very suitable for girls in their twenties. Are you sure this demographic can afford your clothes?" Alec wanted to remind her that ideas often didn't translate well in reality. Jenny, however, was confident about her design. "Hey, are you saying girls in their twenties don't have money? They can buy the things they want with their own money. Besides,
Jenny turned away from his hopeful eyes and focused on the food on her plate instead. She felt that it would be a little mean to reject him. However, going to the movies seemed inappropriate, given her current relationship with him. After all, they weren't a couple yet.Alec misread her hesitation as unwillingness, and it hurt him very much. Seeing how crestfallen he was, Jenny coughed to break the tension, suggesting, "Why don't you choose something else? Wouldn't watching a movie be boring?" No matter how she thought about it, going to the movies with Alec felt inappropriate. If she ran into anyone, they would misunderstand that something was going on between them."Everything works. You can choose whatever you like." Alec's eyes lit up immediately. It didn't matter what they did as long as Jenny was with him. After all, going to the movies was Vincent's idea. He had reported to Alec that going for dinner and movies was a popular dating activity, which was why he had suggested it
Jenny was put into a difficult situation by Jade's invitation. If she hadn't agreed to Alec, she wouldn't hesitate. Alas, she couldn't do that anymore. Sensing her hesitation, Jade narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously. "Hm? Do you have an appointment this afternoon?""It's not an appointment. I'm just going to visit the fashion exhibition," Jenny replied, not daring to look Jade in the eye."Perfect! I'll go with you to see what the popular designs are." Jade looked at Jenny intently as if she had seen through her.Jenny wanted to slap herself for admitting she was visiting the fashion exhibition. She should've just lied and said she was going home to sleep.Her perplexed look made Jade laugh. "Forget it, I'll go by myself. I don't want to disturb your date.""My date?" Jenny was shocked. "It's not a date. What are you talking about, Jade?""No? Didn't Alec drive you here just now? Aren't you planning to go to the exhibition with him?" Jade asked, leaving Jenny no room to refu
There was no way Alec would retreat simply because of his words. Instead, he forcefully broke Gilbert's grip, setting Jenny free. Glaring at him coldly, Alec said, "Since she's your sister, you shouldn't hurt her.""I'm not—""If there's nothing else, I'll excuse myself, Gilbert," Jenny said. She felt tired. Although she wasn't angry at Gilbert, she didn't know how to face him. With that, Alec led Jenny away. Gilbert stood as still as a statue, even when the car pulled out of sight. "I told you a long time ago that Jenny wouldn't accept it," Jade said with a sigh, suddenly appearing beside him. She was the first to know that Gilbert liked Jenny, having discovered it when she was in Orchid Village. She had told him a few times to let go of his feelings, but he never listened. Now, look at how things turned out. Gilbert turned to look at Jade. "Why can't she accept me? We aren't related by blood, and I am not worse than Alec." He didn't understand. Was it because they were siblin
When Alec was done explaining, Jenny asked nonchalantly, "I just asked where she was. Why are you telling me so much?""I'm afraid you'll misunderstand," Alec admitted with a wry smile.Never had Jenny imagined that there was a timid side to the dignified Mr. Faust. "Well, it's not like we have anything to do with each other, so there's no need to explain to me," she replied. Before Alec could say otherwise, they arrived at their destination, so he had no chance to speak his mind. "We're here."They got out of the car and headed to the exhibition together. Jenny had rejected the idea of going to the movies with Alec to avoid being misunderstood by others. However, as they walked into the venue, many people looked at them. From the looks on their faces, they recognized Alec. Jenny regretted her decision. She wished she had worn a mask."Mr. Faust." Soon, someone came up to say hello to him, seeming rather curious about Jenny. "Is this...your girlfriend?""No, not yet." Alec's
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