Alec's car reached Jenny less than ten minutes after Morgan left."Weren't you in a meeting with your clients? Why pick me up?" Jenny asked as she got into the car. Her movements were stiff due to her injury, but she still tried to mask it in front of Alec.Alec started his car. "The meeting finished early. I had Vincent handle the drinking for me.""Vincent's pretty occupied," Jenny murmured. Alec often left his personal matters to his assistant, so with the addition of business meetings and handling clients, Vincent might really be overwhelmed with tasks often.Alec huffed. "He isn't paid millions a year for no reason.""Millions?" Jenny gaped. "That's such a huge amount!" She wasn't even paid that much for her post as deputy director at the hospital! No wonder Vincent was so busy. "Are you jealous?" Alec teased, to which Jenny eagerly nodded. "Who wouldn't be?" She wasn't poor. In fact, she had several other streams of income aside from being a doctor. But millions of dol
Alec gently placed Jenny on the couch. "Where's the injury?""Here. Waist." Jenny pointed at her side. Alec wouldn't be able to see it directly as her clothes had covered it.Alec's brows furrowed in worry. He wanted to look at the injury, but Jenny wasn't letting him."Don't worry. They've already taken care of it at the hospital.""Alright. I believe you." Alec knew Jenny just didn't want to undress, so he wouldn't force her."How did you know I was hurt?" Jenny asked curiously. Alec wouldn't have asked this out of the blue, right?The man set a glass of water before her, then answered, "You said that you were eating with Morgan, but when you sent me your location, it was at the hospital.""Was it just because of that?" Jenny asked incredulously. Did Alec come to that conclusion just from the location alone?Alec nodded in assent. His intuition had always been spot on, so he immediately guessed something had happened to Jenny when she made it known that she was at the hospita
Jenny giggled. "What if I don't cook well?""Then you'll wash the dishes after I cook." Alec played along as he brought their food out from the dining hall. Jenny gave it some thought. "That can work. I can get a dishwashing machine.""Come. Eat." Alec urged, leaving the topic alone. It didn't matter to him whether Jenny cooked for them or washed the dishes. They could just hire someone to handle the food anyway. Well, he didn't mind cooking for her, either. He was just busy with work often.They ate their meals while sharing a conversation, no different from a normal couple."I'll have someone come over to cook for you for the week. Get some rest," Alec said while eating.Jenny declined. "Don't. I can take care of myself." She didn't like sharing her home with outsiders. If she couldn't cook, takeout would suffice."Then I'll send my best chef over." The one from his family home. He didn't have a personal chef yet. Jenny was about to refuse again when Alec added, "If you refus
Jenny slept exceptionally well that night though her injury still pained her from time to time.When she woke up the next day, she scrolled through her phone as always. The Blooms were hot on the news once again, but not for anything good. Yvonne's hatred toward Simone had successfully garnered the netizens' attention.There was news of Simone's scandals and the Bloom Conglomerate's change of board. Jenny read through the article. That man Simone had her investigate had been nabbed for embezzling company funds. The Blooms were probably not having a good time.Jenny stretched lazily in bed. The Blooms' business was none of her concerns right now. Meanwhile, the Blooms were suffering in tense silence at their family home.Simone glanced at her father, Elias Bloom, from across the table. He had aged more than she remembered. His once straight back was now slightly hunched, and his hair had turned a weathered gray. There wasn't an ounce of regret in her heart. In fact, she felt like
The living room fell silent almost instantly. Simone sneered; she hadn't expected anything less."I'm also a Bloom. Why don't I have the rights you have?" she questioned."What exactly is your plan, Simone? Where did you get this absurd idea from?" Elias barked coldly. He no longer recognized this daughter of his. Things felt like they were spiraling out of his control.Simone wasn't upset at her father's attitude at all. "Back then, I didn't think I had what it takes. But now…" With a bright smile on her face, she turned to look at Yvonne. "I'm afraid this family might change their name to Dickman soon."Yvonne couldn't pretend to not be involved at this point. She gave Simone a polite smile. Simone had never respected her even once since she married Sam. Now she had even become one of her greatest obstacles to success."What do you mean, Simone? You really shouldn't pick at my relationship with Sam like this…" Yvonne mewled, tears just about falling down her face.Simone wasn't
Now bored with the situation, Simone prepared to take her leave. "I advise you all to prepare yourselves. Soon you won't be able to afford to live in such a nice house."Things would be different if they'd just let her become the family heir. "Insolent child!" Elias roared, but he couldn't muster up anything else to say.Yvonne glanced at her father-in-law and husband before following Simone outside. "Wait, Ms. Bloom. Can I have a word with you, please?" She called out. Simone stopped and looked back at her with an amused expression."Oh? I don't think we have much to say to each other.""It won't be easy to take over Bloom Conglomerate right now in your position," Yvonne said. "I can help you."Simone pretended to be surprised. "You? Help me? I'm afraid I don't understand.""I'm confident you do, Ms. Bloom. You know exactly why I married Sam. That's why we should work together and remove both Sam and your father from their positions."Simone now understood why Jenny had been
Simeone didn't mind revealing her connection to Jenny. The two women going head-to-head didn't affect her pursuit of inheritance whatsoever. Far behind her, Yvonne's face turned from deathly pale to fierce red in seconds. "Jenny again," Yvonne said angrily, gritting her teeth. No wonder Simone proposed inheriting the company out of the blue!Simone then left Bloom Mansion, leaving Elias and Sam to strategize against her in the living room."You need to do something about this, Dad. You can't have Simone inheriting the company," Sam said anxiously. He wasn't the brightest out there, but even he knew he would become a nobody without the company in his name. Yvonne might even leave him if that happened.Elias thought things through before saying, "Don't worry. The dead won't come seeking your inheritance." He couldn't let his family or its assets land in an outsider's grasp, especially whichever man Simone ended up marrying.Meanwhile, Sam was still reeling from what his father had
Jenny had just finished lunch when someone knocked on her door."Who would be here at this hour?" she wondered. She went to the door and opened it hesitantly, only to find Yvonne Dickman outside. "What are you doing here?" she asked, still surprised.Yvonne shot her a glare and asked angrily, "Did you persuade Simone to take over Bloom Conglomerate?"Jenny blinked for several seconds before laughing. "Yes, I did. Why? Scared?""Scared? I have no reason to be scared." Obviously, Yvonne wouldn't admit that she was. "Luck is not in her favor with Elias in the driver's seat." She knew just how ruthless the old man could be. That kind and wise mask of his was just a farce."Then why did you come to pay me a visit?" Jenny shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.Yvonne held back from slapping her. "I was just curious how you and Alec are doing now. Are you two dating now, hm?"Jenny didn't answer, only smirking in response."You are?" Yvonne asked incredulously. She never guessed
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