The distance between their lips began to close. Suddenly, Jenny's phone rang, jarring them from their trance.Jenny faked a cough to hide her embarrassment and answered the call. "Hello? Yes, I'm ready," she said to the caller. When Jenny hung up and turned to Alec, she found him looking at her with a smile on his face.Her cheeks were still flushed from embarrassment, and she averted her eyes, saying, "Well, the driver is coming to pick me up soon. I have to get ready to go to the venue.""Great." Alec nodded.Compared to Jenny, he was actually much calmer. Although he felt it was a pity they were interrupted, he wasn't in a hurry. Jenny waved at him before walking out of the salon.Alec watched her get into the Walters' car and waited until the car pulled out of his sight before he walked out of the shop.Inside the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Jenny regained her composure. Looking at Graham, she said, "Actually, I can go by myself. You don't need to come with me.""You're my daught
Graham smiled wryly, feeling strange about the sudden change in Jenny's attitude toward him. However, he knew that helping his daughter through her troubles was his duty as a father. He was glad that she still trusted him enough to ask for his help; it meant that she recognized him as her father. "Okay, I'll go with you to Parrington. I want to see the place where you grew up," he said. He regretted missing out on Jenny's growth all these years and hoped to make up for it by going to her hometown with her.Jenny was happy to hear her father's promise. With Graham by her side, she felt confident that even Paul couldn't stop her from taking Stephanie away. The thought of taking Stephanie away from Paul put her in a good mood.As they arrived at the dinner party, they were immediately swarmed by reporters who had gotten wind of the missing Walters' daughter's appearance. Though it wasn't a press conference, the reporters clamored to ask her questions. Jenny, however, kept her composur
Of course, they only entertained the thought; nobody dared to ask Graham directly. Since he had already claimed that Jenny was his lost eldest daughter, it was clear he didn't want people to think of her as an illegitimate daughter. Besides, the guests at the dinner were all respectable people, so nobody would really broach the subject.Upon entering the dinner party, Graham still kept Jenny by his side, not intending to separate from her at all. Rowena pushed Jolene, who was beside her, and said, "Go to your father. Jenny shouldn't be alone with your father at a time like this.""Okay." Jolene nodded, knowing what her mother meant.The mother and daughter separated, and Jolene quickly walked to Graham's side, calling out to him, "Dad.""Where did you go? Why didn't you come with your sister?" Graham's words had a hint of reproach. After all, Jolene had offered to take Jenny with her, but when Graham went to pick her up, Jolene was nowhere to be seen. "Dad, she's her own person.
Jenny walked to the corner, and Jolene silently followed her."Jenny, I hate you." Jolene suddenly blurted out, startling Jenny, who was drinking juice.Jenny looked at her and said calmly, "It's okay if you hate me.""Of course you don't care. You have everything now." Jolene glared at her fiercely.Jenny sighed, feeling like a villain in a drama for taking away Jolene's father's love the moment she returned to Bardoff city. She understood why Jolene felt upset but didn't think she did anything wrong.Jolene had enjoyed her father's love for over 20 years, but what about Jenny? She had only been back for a few days. Was it wrong that she was receiving a little of that?"Jolene, I don't want to have any conflict with you. As long as you don't trouble me, I won't bother you either," Jenny warned her.She didn't want to escalate things with Jolene, but if Jolene caused any trouble, she would not hesitate to defend herself.Jolene ignored her warning and continued, "Lies! If you r
Jolene left Jenny and mingled with the other guests, mostly her relatives and friends. Feeling at home, she thought herself better off here than with country people like Jenny.Jolene was wearing an upset expression when she met Randy.Concerned by her expression, Randy said, "I understand how you feel, but the Glasses can't interfere too much with the Walters' family affairs.""I know." Rowena had told her this long ago, and Jolene didn't plan to make Randy take any action against the Walters, as it was her family, after all. "I just can't take this. Why does my father spoil Jenny? Just look at how he treats her during this event—he has never treated me like that before." Jolene was upset about Graham's favoritism.Randy glanced at Jenny, but he didn't understand Graham's reasoning. Perhaps it was because she was the beloved child. He didn't dare to say this to Jolene lest she made a scene.After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, even if your father spoils he
Jenny repeatedly declined, causing Randy to become visibly upset despite his earlier good temperament."In Bardoff City, it's not wise to isolate yourself," he said, his tone now lacking the earlier hospitality.As the wolf had shed its sheep clothing, Jenny was finally willing to look at him. "So, tell me, what will you do if I insist on being alone?" she asked with interest, wanting to see how Randy would respond.Randy's face froze, aware that he could not treat Jenny poorly, especially since they were at an event. Even if they weren't, she was the eldest daughter of the Walters.He faked a cough to ease the tension. "Wow, you sound so serious. I was only kindly reminding you, with no ulterior motives," he said.Jenny chuckled lightly. "Oh? I thought you were warning me just now," she said with a little disdain. She knew that the other guests did not like her and did not know how to interact with her, but they didn't dare to express their feelings outright because of her positi
Alec turned his head to look at Christopher when he heard his voice, frowning in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"With a small smile, Christopher continued watching Jenny. "You and I are no longer good enough for Jenny. Are you still not going to give up?"Alec didn't understand why Christopher was saying that to him. "Why does it matter to me whether I'm worthy or not? Why are you saying these things to me?"To Alec, even though Jenny was the eldest daughter of the Walter family, she was still the one he liked. He didn't care whether he deserved her or not."It seems that you are really more determined than me," Christopher said with a sad smile. He had grown apprehensive about liking Jenny. Before she returned to the Walter family, Christopher felt that he was worthy of her.He sighed helplessly at the thought of his family background, which couldn't compare to the Ten Elites of Bardoff City. And he certainly couldn't compare to Alec, given how resolutely he loved Jenny.
Jenny walked onto the stage, where the spotlight followed her every move, and the only sound in the venue was the gentle tapping of her footsteps. Despite knowing about Jenny's divorce, the audience couldn't help but be mesmerized by her dazzling and confident presence.Jolene, on the other hand, seethed with anger, wondering why someone from the countryside could exude such arrogance. She believed that she was the true daughter of the Walter family. However, she restrained herself, knowing she would have the last laugh when Jenny failed to play the piano.Jenny walked onto the stage and sat in front of the piano, but she didn't start to play.Jolene's eyes lit up, gleefully reveling in the fact that she couldn't play the piano. There was no way Jenny had access to a piano since she grew up in the countryside. As Jenny sat in front of the piano without moving, Jolene signaled to her peers, who deliberately taunted Jenny, asking, "Miss Walter, why don't you play? Could it be that y
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