Yvonne was in no mood to listen to the staff's conversation. Alec was on her mind, and she assumed he was likely with Jenny. Her mood tanked, and she looked across at Sam. "Since Alec Faust is here, we should at least say hi to him. If the Blooms have his support, we can soon take over the reins of the Bloom Conglomerate.""Yvonne, let's stay put." Sam wasn't an idiot. He knew their presence would only irk Alec and Jenny, who had made it clear that they disliked the Bloom couple. Yvonne glared at him impatiently. "Why are you so afraid? Alec's not going to bite." After that, she disregarded his protest and dragged him with her. She wore a broad smile on her face when she stood in front of Alec and Jenny. "Alec, are you having dinner with Jenny here? What a coincidence. Sam and I are eating here too," she addressed them in an annoyingly sweet manner, especially when she referred to Jenny. It was a testament to her shamelessness.Jenny was the one who had goosebumps over the uneasy e
Sam was naive and took Yvonne's words seriously. Feeling that he had wronged her somehow, he apologized, "Sorry, Yvonne. I was…""Whatever. You probably don't love me anyway." She smirked and put on a pitiful look that almost broke his heart. He quickly pulled her into a comforting hug. "Of course I love you. No one loves you more than I do." "Is that true?""Yes.""Well, if so, I want to be a shareholder of the Bloom Conglomerate. Why don't you give me some of yours?" she suggested, causing him to hesitate. During his deliberation, he heard her complaining, "See! You're not willing to even give your shares to me. How could you claim that you love me? You're a liar!""I will give you my shares," he hurriedly agreed to her request to cheer her up. Hearing that, she beamed at him and gave him a peck at the corner of his lips while holding back her disgust. "Okay! You promised! No taking it back.""No, of course, I won't take it back!" Sam was overjoyed. Even if Yvonne wanted h
"I'm leaving tomorrow. I have made arrangements for company matters," Gilbert answered with a smile. She frowned. "Tomorrow? Why the rush?""I've been planning for this for a long time," he said. "Don't worry. I just think that the company's business overseas is underperforming. I'll take this chance to develop the business abroad and expand the company.""Oh," she responded, but she didn't believe a word from him."When I'm not around, ask Zack for help if you need anything. He's capable of helping you out now," Gilbert reminded her, as he still felt worried about leaving her alone. She nodded sorrowfully. "Gilbert, if you worry about me that much, you should've stayed. I was counting on you to protect me."He merely smiled at her, and that was enough said. How could he not go abroad? He'd never let go of Jenny if he stayed in Parrington.She pursed her lips and said nothing more because Gilbert seemed to have arrived at a final decision. Unsure of how to face him before his
Alec's words might have worked on Jenny because she finally got up and had breakfast with him. Even so, she looked gloomy and quiet."Gilbert's leaving today, right?" he asked. "Yeah.""Aren't you sending him off?"She shook her head and gave him a half-hearted answer while eating. "No. Just like you said, it's not a life-or-death matter. Why should I send him off?"Alec shook his head helplessly and said nothing else. When Jenny finished breakfast, she went to lie on the couch again. He had to drag her up. "Go change. I'll bring you somewhere.""Where are we going?" She looked up but was in low spirits. It was obvious that she didn't want to go anywhere."You'll know when we're there." He didn't offer an answer. Instead, he led her to his car and drove out of Perry Residence.She finally realized where they were headed when she saw the huge Parrington Airport sign. Her heart fluttered as she glanced at him, but he was too focused on driving to notice the look in her eyes.He
When Gilbert left, Marigold burst into tears and wailed loudly, attracting the attention of other travelers. Zack felt the intense gaze on him when he stood beside her, as though people were wondering what he had inflicted on the poor girl who was crying hysterically. Feeling embarrassed, he finally spoke up after some hesitation, "Uh…don't cry. Gilbert's on a business trip. It's not like he's gone for good.""What do you know?" She glared at him. "Do you think I'm clueless? He left because he wanted to run away from Jenny. God knows when he's going to be back!""From the way you speak, I would have thought that you had some relationship with him," he fired back in disdain. That fuelled her rage, and she roared, "Get lost!"Speechless, he thought, "I'm trying to be nice to you. Why did you scold me?"Marigold left after that. No one knew what she was doing next, and no one cared.When she was gone, Zack left the airport as well with feelings of surprise that Jenny hadn't shown
After the movie ended, they exited the hall. Jenny asked, "What do you think? Do you like it?""Yeah, I do," he replied while staring at her. She turned around and met his eyes. He seemed to be saying that he liked staring at her throughout the movie instead of actually reviewing the movie. Dumbfounded, she scoffed, "Can't you be serious for once?""I am being serious." He coughed and added, "The movie was enjoyable. It was exciting." Although he missed out on most parts, he believed it was good because Jenny was absorbed in the story. She smirked and dropped the topic. "What's for lunch?""You decide. I'm okay with anything." Any food was fine as long as he was dining with her. She could not think of anything and scanned around. "Let's have a look around.""Sure, we're not in a hurry. It's still early." Alec nodded, and they strolled around the mall, searching for a restaurant. Suddenly, she halted in front of one restaurant and stared at the busy employees. Following her
Alec seemed to have recognized Joey too. Although he never interacted with Joey, he had helped Jenny investigate his stepmother, and he learned a thing or two about the boy in the process. He interjected to break the tension between the two, "Jenny, let's not get too riled up. Sit down and talk it out with him." Then, he called a waiter over to get them a quiet dining room. Joey was reluctant to follow them but had no choice because Jenny was staring at him. They took their seats in the room, and Alec ordered some food. After that, he turned to Joey. "Tell us now. Why did you drop out?"Feeling their eyes on him, he sighed and told them his story. After his stepmother was sent to jail, his dad, who had grown increasingly displeased with him, put all the blame on him. Not long after, his dad stopped paying for his school fees and pocket money. At his wits' end, he decided to quit school and work."You're only sixteen. Are you going to work retail forever?" Jenny was upset but didn't
Joey was unaware of his options, nor had he tried them out. When his teacher asked him the reason behind his decision, he merely answered that he didn't want to study anymore. Despite his teacher's attempt to change his mind, he didn't budge. Therefore, his teacher was left with no choice but to process the paperwork for him."But…I already dropped out." He hung his head in regret."I can handle that for you. What you need to do is to show up to school on time. Don't fret about it," Alec replied. Joey looked at the two with teary eyes, even though he was a tough guy. "Thank you.""Study hard and score well if you really want to thank us." Jenny was relieved after Joey agreed to go back to school. He nodded. "I will." Joey had always been good at studies, which was why he was placed in 12th grade at sixteen. If all went according to plan, he'd be taking the SAT the following year."All the best! If you get into a good college, I'll buy you a gift." Jenny finally broke into a smi