Jenny put the earrings on, and Alec heaved a long sigh. "Well, hello there, girlfriend of mine."Jenny smiled as an unspoken happiness welled up in her chest.The crowd surrounding them couldn't help teasing them. "Stop it, you two. We're all single.""That's right. Let's eat," Stephanie chimed in. A bright smile hung off her lips. One could tell that she truly was happy for Jenny.Alec and Jenny looked at each other, smiling.Soon, the staff served them their food. They sat around the table, talking merrily. The dining hall was a harmonious place that night. But of course, there was just that one person who wasn't as happy as the rest.Paul Wagner looked at Stephane, who was sitting next to Jenny. She hadn't said a single word to him or even looked at him. An indescribable fire was burning in his stomach. He had no appetite, even with the delicious food laid out before him.After dinner, they went out to the garden to enjoy the fireworks display. Alec had prepared a long itiner
Paul's face was stone cold. He exuded disgust. "This is between Stephanie and me. Don't interfere!""Between Stephanie and you? What's there to say?" Jenny retorted. Then, she sneered. "Stephanie has already told you that she doesn't like you. Why are you still harassing her?""Control your woman, Alec Faust. Don't blame me for being crass if you don't!" He glared at Alec while suppressing his anger.Alec knew that Paul was angry, but he wasn't planning on taking Jenny away. "Don't go overboard. You'll just push her away like this." In his eyes, if Paul truly liked Stephanie, he had to pursue her sincerely. What was the point of all this?"You're choosing hoes over bros now?" Paul scoffed, feeling a twinge of disbelief.Alec said nothing, but his actions said it all. He would stand on Jenny's side.Paul retracted his gaze and looked at Stephanie once more. "You will regret your decision." Then, he turned and left. This time, he was truly incensed.Jenny waited for him to complet
Alec stopped standing up for Paul when he realized how angry Jenny was. He didn't want to upset her on his first day as her boyfriend. "Will you come to see Grandpa with me?" He shifted the topic in case Paul was brought up again.Jenny considered it. She hadn't gone to see him in a long time. She'd purposely kept herself at a distance because she didn't want to be too involved in Alec's life. But now…"Alright." She nodded, not refusing.They chatted and returned to the garden. Stephanie was resting in the guest room, and Paul had left. There were only Max and Jade in the garden. Jenny saw that there wasn't much romance between them, but it wasn't awkward, either. She even felt a little hopeful for them. If Max could let go of Jade and have a fresh start, it would be a good step in the right direction.Max's and Jade's conversation trailed off when they saw the two of them coming back. "Is everything alright?" Jade asked. Although she wasn't familiar with Stephanie, she was stil
The next day, Jenny and Alec went to see his grandfather in the old mansion. Then, they parted ways. Although they were now officially boyfriend and girlfriend, Jenny didn't seem to think there was a difference."I've been having headaches, Dr. Walter. Could you treat it?" Someone pushed open the door to her office. His voice sounded familiar.Jenny was about to refer him to the clinic because she was only in charge of surgeries and wasn't open to visits, but then she looked up and saw that the person was someone she knew. She put away the document in her hands. He sat in front of her. "Can you tell me what illness it is, Dr. Walter?""I'm a doctor, not a prophet," Jenny said. If she could tell from a glance, the hospital wouldn't even need CT scanners. They'd just need her. What was more, this man didn't even look sick. "You're underestimating yourself, Dr. Walker. Everyone in Parrington knows your skills are top-notch," he said, smiling.Jenny didn't want to play along with
Christopher was angry. It was all too sudden for him to accept. He took a deep breath and tried hard not to show it. "Think about it, Jenny. This man has hurt you before. Are you sure that you want to be with him?""Save your breath. Jenny agreed to be my girlfriend just yesterday. You won't stand a chance." Alec cut him off mercilessly. Alec's words drew a knife over Christopher's heart, and he was about to burst.Just yesterday?He had originally planned to fly over yesterday, but because his friend had invited him for some drinks, he had pushed it off until today. Regret washed over him. If he had known it earlier, he'd have come yesterday. He might have been able to stop them from getting together. But now…He wanted to say something else, but he swallowed his words when he saw the couple in their honeymoon phase. It seemed he would have no chance of bringing the Spades to prominence. "Alright, Alec. You're a lucky man." He pointed at Alec unwillingly. He was prepared to le
Christopher had no idea about Jenny and Alec's conversation. He walked out of the hospital dejectedly. When he got back to his car, he called his grandfather. "I've lost my chance, Grandpa." He told him about Alec and Jenny getting together, emphasizing that they had only gotten together yesterday and were in the honeymoon phase.Harvey Spade sighed and said, "Are you planning to give up this quickly?""What else am I going to do?" Christopher was prepared to buy a ticket to Bardoff City. He didn't want to stay in Parrington any longer.Harvey scolded him on the other end. "You're giving up because of one obstacle? What does it matter if she has a boyfriend? Don't you know how to win her over? The Fausts are only powerful in Parrington, but can they compare to us? Alec doesn't hold a candle to you. You're even more powerful than he is. What's there to worry about?"Christopher came to his senses. "That can't be a great idea." He'd become the other lover. How would he dare to show h
Christopher was speechless. Was Alec prepared to attack him because he knew that he was here to steal Jenny away from him? What a bold man! Didn't he know who Christopher was?Christopher got down the car. He wanted to see for himself what Alec was about to do.Alec was shocked to see him. He frowned, but before he could say anything, Christopher spoke first. "What are you going to do to me, Alec? Do you dare to attack me?""Why are you following us?" Alec asked.Christopher felt a little guilty, but he quickly recovered. "What do you mean? I wanted to go to this restaurant. What, are you the only people who can come here?" Although he was determined to steal Jenny away, he was at a loss for what to do.Alec glanced at him and gestured for Vincent to take his men away. He led Jenny to the restaurant, ignoring Christopher's presence.Christopher followed them quickly and walked beside Jenny with a smile. "Let's eat together, Jenny. I don't have a friend in Parrington. You're not g
Christopher drank his coffee, feeling like he was about to be exposed."We're not going to keep things to ourselves. Why don't you tell us what your motives are? I'd help you if I could." She had agreed to eat with him so she could ask him about it.A smile tugged at Christopher's lips. She'd definitely be able to help if she agreed to marry him. The coffee was running out, so he had to put it down. He met Jenny's gaze and said, "I was joking, really. You got together with Alex and not me, after all. I was just angry. I only have one motive: to make you my girlfriend. Even better, to have you marry me. I would definitely be a better choice than Alec."Alec was instantly upset. What did Christopher mean? Why did he have to drag him into this?"Ignore him, Jenny. He definitely has an ulterior motive." Alec regretted taking her there. He should have brought Jenny home, and they wouldn't have run into this psychopath.Christopher was unwilling to tell the truth. Jenny didn't ask him a
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