Alec was already waiting at the door when Jenny arrived at the bar."I knew you wouldn't have the heart to leave me here alone." He smiled, walking toward her. He took Jenny's bag and led her inside."Don't be so presumptuous. I'm here to keep an eye on you so that you won't go behind my back." Jenny followed Alec as they made their way to the second floor.Alec wasn't angry at her remark. Instead, he nodded in agreement. "That's good. I do need someone to keep an eye on me."If Jenny hadn't come, his buddies would have gotten him some female escorts. Although he wasn't interested, he would feel uncomfortable with strangers sitting beside him. Fortunately, she showed up.As they pushed open the door to the private room, everyone inside looked at them. Alec led Jenny in and introduced her as his girlfriend. The group chuckled and greeted her. Jenny smiled and greeted them back.Alec introduced each of them in turn. "From left to right, they are Lance Quealy, Spencer Nixon, and Yos
Yosef's face turned pale with anger. He glared at Jenny as if she was his sworn enemy. Jenny, however, remained calm and smiled back at him. She didn't think he could do anything to her with Alec around. Taking note of his small physique, Jenny knew he was no match for her, even if they were to fight."Enough, Yosef!" Spencer walked over and pulled him back. He looked at Jenny apologetically. "Don't mind him. He's always been like this and doesn't know how to talk nicely.""If he doesn't know how to, he should go home and learn, not come here to make a fool of himself," Jenny retorted, not caring whether she stepped on Spencer's toes.She promised to be Alec's girlfriend because she was attracted to him, not because of his money. Therefore, she didn't care about offending his friends. Spencer was surprised at how tough Jenny was, seeing as she didn't back down one bit. He looked at Alec for help, but he just drank his alcohol and watched everything unfolding as if it was a show.Wh
Yosef was so scared that he couldn't speak, and he couldn't help but tremble slightly. He'd known Alec for many years, but this was the first time he'd seen him behave in such a way. Hence, he was understandably quite taken aback."Listen to me—if you say one more thing you shouldn't say, I'll make the Jones family disappear from Parrington. Do you understand?" After he was done with his warning, Alec simply threw Yosef aside. He then washed his hands and left.Yosef lay on the floor for a while before he came to his senses and cursed, "Alec! You bastard!"Alec returned to the private room first, but it took a while before Yosef came back after him. Everyone noticed that Yosef seemed perturbed, but no one asked him about his condition.Jenny glanced at Alec and asked quietly, "Did you teach him a lesson?""Hmm." Alec didn't deny it. "He had it coming. He shouldn't have been rude to you.""It's okay. I'm not angry. You don't need to make a fuss about it." Yosef was his friend, aft
Jenny didn't hear any response from Alec. She raised her head and found that he'd fallen asleep again at some point and hadn't heard her at all. Jenny sighed but didn't wake him up. She slowly got up, made sure that Alec was tucked in comfortably, and then left.The next day, the first thing Jenny did when she woke up was check on Alec. She was worried, so she didn't return the key last night but held on to it.When she opened the door and entered, she saw no signs of activity and assumed that Alec hadn't gotten up yet. Therefore, she went straight to the bedroom.The moment she pushed open the door, she was greeted by the sight of Alec's muscular back. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and there were water droplets on his tanned skin. He seemed to have just taken a shower.Jenny couldn't help but gulp. "This body… He has the perfect physique!" she exclaimed wordlessly.The next second, Alec put on his bathrobe. Just as Jenny lamented not being able to continue admiring such a sight for
Because of how serious Alec was, Jenny didn't know how to broach the subject. She couldn't just outrightly say, "I think you're sick and should see a doctor." Although she had said those exact words before, she wasn't afraid of offending Alec or making him unhappy back then. Now, however, she hesitated, trying to find the right words."Don't worry, Jenny. Just tell me what you want to say. I won't get angry," Alec said, sensing her hesitation.Taking his words as encouragement, Jenny cut to the chase and asked, "Did you choose the style of this house yourself?"Alec smiled and stood up. He walked to the window to look at the street below. "Yeah. I used to like this kind of style. It made me feel comfortable."Jenny frowned. Before she could say anything, Alec asked, "Are you worried about me?"With a nod, Jenny said, "Don't you think it's too depressing and unsuitable to live in?" She'd felt uncomfortable since she stepped into his house last night. The complete darkness made he
On the opening day of her new store, Jenny would definitely invite reporters to better promote the La Vie Jen Rose Designs brand. However, as Alec pointed out, it was hard to prevent the media from gossiping about their relationship. What should she do when that happens? Should she admit or deny it?Alec was still waiting for her answer. The way he was staring at her made her feel a little uneasy."What do you want me to say?" She threw the question back at Alec.He chuckled. "Well, I hope you'll say that I'm your boyfriend.""Are you sure you want to make it public?" Jenny was a little surprised. She thought someone from a family like Alec's would be cautious about their relationships and not make them public until they were married.Alec nodded without any hesitation. "Why not? I'm happy to let everyone know about us."His frank attitude made Jenny blush. "But I think this is something between the two of us. There's no need for others to know…" She hesitated but still expressed
Jenny didn't expect Simone to be so efficient. Simone had only received the information a few days ago, and she was already taking action. It seemed like Jenny had made the right decision to seek Simone's help. She didn't care where Simone got the money to buy the shares of Bloom Conglomerate. Simone might have been planning this move for a long time; she was just waiting for the right opportunity. Jenny going to her coincidentally gave her the opportunity to set her plan in motion.As Jenny was thinking about it, her phone rang. When she saw Simone's name on the screen, she couldn't help but smile. Simone went straight to the point without exchanging pleasantries and asked if Jenny had seen the news. Jenny confirmed that she had."What do you need me to do?" Jenny asked."I need you to help me investigate a senior executive of Bloom Conglomerate. I want to get rid of this guy, but I don't have any leads to work on." Based on the information Jenny had given her, Simone knew that J
Christopher seemed oblivious to Jenny's displeasure. He was still grinning as he said, "No, no. You expressed yourself very clearly, and I heard you loud and clear.""In that case, why are you still approaching me?" Jenny asked, really not understanding what was going on in his mind."You have the right to reject me, but I have the right to continue liking you. You have no control over my heart," Christopher said, smiling and looking as if he was determined to keep liking her no matter what. Jenny was at a loss for words. She suddenly felt a headache coming and stepped aside to distance herself from Christopher. "Do whatever you want." She didn't know what else to say. Feeling that it was a waste of time to say anything, she chose to ignore him."That's more like it." Christopher grinned and followed her, clearly having no intention of leaving.Jenny walked to the cafeteria with Christopher still trailing behind her. She asked, "Are you planning to eat with me in the cafeteria?"
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