Pain and regret mingled together. She was considering going downstairs to buy some medicine when she heard footsteps at the front door.She looked over and saw Alec. "You didn't leave?" she exclaimed."I only have painkillers. I don't have anything to help with your stomach. You can take this for now." He handed the pills to her and gently gave her a glass of hot water.Jenny didn't care about being polite and gulped them down.Ten minutes later, she felt much better. She sat up and thanked Alec.He glanced at her, his irises dark. After a while, he said, "Do you have a death wish, skipping meals when you have stomach issues?"She sipped the hot water, feeling better. "You know what happened today. Where would I find the time to eat?"She didn't want to perform surgery on an empty stomach either, but one procedure would take six to seven hours. She couldn't stop in the middle of surgery to eat. That would be terrifying. Alec didn't reply. "Are you better now?""Much better."
Someone knocked on the door again. Alec repeated his motions and opened the door, quickly taking another pack of food."Your stomach is weak. Have some soup instead." He placed the food before Jenny.Jenny nodded. "Fine. I'll eat Max's food tomorrow."Right as she said that, Alec sat opposite her and began devouring Max's food.Noticing her shocked face, Alec said, upset, "What? You owe me one. Can't I at least have your food?"Jenny couldn't help laughing. She nodded. "Of course you can. You can eat whatever you want."She was merely surprised by his actions.They sat eating, facing each other. The air around them instantly grew intimate.Jenny didn't think she would be eating together with Alec after their divorce, and it was takeout, nonetheless. That made it seem weirder.They finally finished their food. Jenny looked at Alec. "Is there… anything else?"She wanted to tell him to leave.Alec saw through her thoughts. He indeed didn't wish to stay any longer. He stood up a
"Get to the point." Alec rubbed his temples, leaning against his couch. He waited for Paul to speak.Paul muttered for a bit before saying, "Her name is Jenny. She grew up in Orchid Village, but don't underestimate her because of that. She's a beast in academics. She's been skipping grade levels, graduating with a Ph.D. at just twenty-two years old. Then she went abroad for two years before finally returning."Jenny?Why was this name so familiar?However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember where he had heard it."What else?" Alec got up and walked over to the windows, looking at the view of the city at night. No one could guess what was going through his mind."What else?" Paul's voice grew higher. He said playfully, "She didn't work after returning to the country and disappeared from sight. Guess what she'd been up to."Of course, Alec couldn't guess, but he thought of why he couldn't find Jenny before. He'd thought that she had disappeared."What did she do?"
The next morning, Jenny tiredly climbed out of bed. After being tormented by her empty stomach last night, she knew she couldn't afford to sleep through breakfast.As she walked toward the kitchen, the doorbell sounded. She was a little surprised. Who would come knocking at this hour?She opened the door, a little hesitant. When she realized it was Alec, she was so stunned that her jaw slackened.What was he doing here?"Have you eaten?" he asked.Jenny shook her head. Right as she was wondering what he was doing, he stepped in with a pack of food. The restaurant's name, The Crispy Buns, was clearly branded on the packaging.Jenny knew about The Crispy Buns. It was a really popular place in Parrington. People said their food smelt amazing, and she had always wanted to try it.Could Alec be bringing her breakfast?"Eat it. It's still fresh." He put the food on the table.Jenny didn't move. She had to stand there for a long time before acknowledging that this was not all just a
Jenny nearly burst out laughing, but she held herself together. "Yeah. He's a jerk!""Did he hurt you?" Alec's eyes shifted. He wished he could punch the bastard in the face."Yeah." She nodded and said, "We were married for two years, but he never paid me a visit. Don't you think he's a jerk?""He is!" Alec gritted his teeth. A ball of fire surged in his chest. "Who is he?"You, Alec!Jenny bit back her laughter and shook her head. "Oh well. It's all in the past. I want nothing to do with him in the future."Alec couldn't press on when she said that, but he still felt upset. "You don't have to be so merciful towards jerks. If you find yourself in a pinch, I can help you."Jenny noticed that Alec was staring at her. He felt embarrassed. "Don't take this the wrong way. I was just…""Are you pursuing me, Mr. Faust?" she asked.The air around them grew quiet at once. Alec retorted, "Never!"Jenny looked at him with interest. Seeing this, Alec explained, "I'm just helping you on
Alec heaved a deep sigh. Perhaps he was a jerk to his ex-wife, too.At the thought of this, he finally began feeling a hint of guilt toward his unknown wife. Perhaps not even that house in Charmford could make up for the damage he had caused her.He messaged Vincent, telling him to locate his ex-wife and gift her a million dollars besides the house in Charmford.Jenny knew nothing of what Alec was doing. After he left, she threw on her clothes and rushed to the hospital.As for Alec… He would probably leave her alone after that unpleasant conversation.This was good. It would be peaceful.In Lawrence Solutions, Mr. Lawrence sat in his office happily, looking at his company's rising stocks. He had a terrific mood. Lawrence Solutions developed at breakneck speed since sucking up to Alec Faust. It grew from an insignificant little company to one of Parrington's most established businesses. Mr. Lawrence was overjoyed.It was a pity that his daughter couldn't latch on to Alec yet. If
Jenny had just received a call today saying that the police had interrogated Karen White and learned of all her plans.Karen indeed hated her stepson and wished for him to die multiple times, but she never succeeded. Hence, she planned a car accident yesterday, but fortune was on the boy's side, and he came out with only minor injuries. Karen was upset by this and couldn't let it go. She sent him to the hospital, wanting him to die on the operating table. This way, the child would die, and she would be compensated in cash.As for why she wanted Dr. Walter to perform the surgery…Karen was just the tiniest bit smart. She knew the child's condition was not serious, and Dr. Walter would definitely refuse to do surgery. Thus, once Dr. Walter refused, she would switch hospitals. If anything bad happened, she would be able to sue Dr. Walter as well.Karen would obviously do anything for money.Unfortunately for her, there was no escaping the long arm of the law. Did she really think t
Jenny didn't mind it at all. Once the man left, she asked Joey, "How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable?""I'm… I'm fine," he said, giving her a feeble smile. His face flushed slightly.When facing his father, he could be cold, but with Jenny, he felt a little embarrassed."Tell me if there are any problems. I'm the doctor in charge of you," she said.Joey nodded. He was then reminded of something and instantly looked upset. "I… I don't have the money to pay for the medical bills."He had heard that the doctor before him was famous, and that the surgery would not come cheap. He was just a child. There was no way he could afford it. Mr. Little had said those things because he knew Joey had no money—he had no means to pay for his education and livelihood, let alone the hospital. He expected Joey to come begging. "It's okay. The hospital has medical aid. You don't have to worry about it. Just lie back and rest." Jenny's heart couldn't help aching when she saw him like this. Altho
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