The plane soon took off. Jenny shut her eyes and rested while Alec sat beside her, still giddy. He knew Jenny was upset and didn't want to talk right now, so he quietly stayed by her side, not asking her anything though he was incredibly curious about her situation.After some time, Jenny asked, "Aren't you curious about what happened between Graham and me?""Of course I am. I just didn't want to disturb you. You looked like you had a lot on your mind," Alec said with a smile. He had come to know her a little more after spending time with her all this while.Jenny sighed. He was right. She had wanted nothing more than to be left alone in a quiet space since boarding the plane. But her mood had lightened after some peace and quiet. "It's nothing, really. I think he saw the news about us, that's all.""He doesn't want you involved with me, does he?" Alec could easily guess what had transpired between the father and daughter. Jenny huffed. "Who does he think he is, really? What righ
Alec and Jenny made their way out of Parrington Airport. Back in his territory, Alec had arranged for them to be picked up outside."You wanna go back to your home first?" he asked once they were safe in the car."Yeah. That'd be best." Jenny nodded. As worried about Stephanie as she was, she couldn't make any sudden moves lest Paul overreacted. It might get harder to rescue Stephanie if that happened. Plus, she hadn't settled her resignation at the hospital yet.They soon reached Perry Residence. Jenny stepped out and turned to ask Alec, "Aren't you gonna rest up first?""Nah. I still need to look at things at the office. I'll pick you up for dinner later." Alec couldn't rest now that they were going to move Faust Group headquarters to Bardoff City. They had deep roots here in Parrington that needed careful unraveling.Jenny knew about it, too, and was concerned about him. "You really don't have to do this, you know. Parrington isn't so bad, really.""It is not so bad, but…there
Graham stopped Jenny from shutting the front door. "Alright, alright. I'll stop talking about it, okay?"Only then Jenny stopped closing it. "Why don't you go back to your hotel to rest first? I'll go to you when I need your help.""Why would I need to go to a hotel when you have a place to stay right here?" Graham asked. He hadn't planned on living at a hotel whatsoever."You want to stay at my place?" Jenny wasn't used to having another person around in her house. It was also too small for someone like Graham, who was used to a bigger space.He didn't care about that. "Can't I? Your own father, Jenny.""I never said you couldn't, just…my place is tiny compared to Walter Castle." Shouldn't Graham book a five-star hotel to meet his accommodation needs?Graham shook his head. "It's okay. I'll stay here with you. Your father has been through a lot, you know." He had lived in worse places than this.The man dragged his luggage into Jenny's apartment, noticing how cozy and clean the
Graham grew silent. After a long minute, he sighed and asked, "You think I never should've married Rowena, don't you?"Jenny said nothing. Yes, she did feel that way. Graham shouldn't have married that woman even though he couldn't be with Jenny's mother. Couldn't he have waited until he had what it took to go back for her mother?If Graham's feelings for her mother weren't gone, why would he marry Rowena Glass and even have a child with her?"After your mother was taken away all those years ago, I decided to amass my power and get her back, but not without making sure you were settled somewhere safe. The former patriarch then urged me to marry, and Rowena offered her hand in marriage. I wanted to borrow her family's strength to secure ours, that's all. I never thought about having another child with her." He sighed again. "But I underestimated Rowena's ambition. She got me drunk and conceived my child without my consent, wanting to use that as a pawn against me. But I'm telling you
Alec was surprised to see Graham, too, but swiftly calmed down. "Mr. Walter," he greeted gently. Graham huffed. "You can stop the act."He didn't like Alec one bit, not only because of his restlessness with Jenny but also what he did to Jolene in Bardoff City. If it weren't for Jenny's sake, he would've taken action against Alec already.Alec wasn't upset with the man's attitude. "I have to be polite, sir. You're Jenny's father, after all."With that, he walked into the house and went straight to the kitchen. It wasn't his first time there. He knew his way around after countless times of cooking for Jenny.Seeing his familiarity, Graham was left speechless. It looked like his daughter had spent a lot of time with this man. "Didn't you say you two weren't together?" he asked Jenny. "Yeah." Jenny nodded. "We're not together.""Don't worry, sir. We're just friends." Alec said after poking his head out from the doorway.Just friends? Did they take him for a fool? What kind of fri
Jenny gauged Graham's expression, anxious for his response. "So now you know. What happened isn't Alec's fault. No one likes the idea of marrying a complete stranger or having it happen to them.""Then why does he like you now?" Graham huffed, still upset that Jenny was defending Alec. Jenny really didn't know how to answer that. After a long while, she said, "Fate, most likely."Graham just about choked on his own spit. "Fate? Misfortune, more like!" he thought. "Whatever it is, I still don't think you two are compatible," Graham insisted. Alec had many good aspects about him, but in the end, he still mistreated his daughter. That was something Graham couldn't forgive.Jenny hadn't intended to change his perspective, just tell him the truth. "You don't have to worry about me anymore. I can take care of myself." She had chosen her words carefully so Graham wouldn't get angry. "You should worry about Jolene instead. She's not a kid anymore. It's time you found a nice prospect f
Jenny said nothing, knowing Jolene would never agree to it, for now, at least. She believed she deserved better, like James, for example. Unfortunately for her, James didn't feel the same.Just then, Alec started placing the food on the table. Jenny got up to help him. "Rest a while. I'm gonna go help Alec."She had said her piece to Graham. All that could be done now was for the man to make a decision. Someone as intelligent as he was bound to come up with a win-win solution."It's alright," Alec said when Jenny entered the kitchen. "I can handle this myself. Go sit.""I've been sitting all day." Jenny quipped, taking the platter of brisket from Alec's hands. She set it on the table, then went back to the kitchen. Alec had already started making another dish."You don't need to make so much food. What if we can't finish it all?" Jenny was worried Alec might tire himself out. There were already five different courses on the table, and still, he wasn't stopping.She knew he wanted
Graham really didn't know how Alec could be so confident about it, but he didn't pursue things further. What happened to Alec was none of his business. All he had to do was persuade Jenny not to continue being with him lest she get in trouble.But Jenny didn't mind. She asked curiously, "The family business has started stagnating too, right?"Graham frowned. He didn't like where this was going."Why don't you consider buying over the Glass' business?" Jenny suggested.If that happened, Alec wouldn't have to worry about being troubled by them, nor would Rowena be a threat to Jenny any longer.Graham shook his head. "Things aren't that simple, Jenny. The Glass family is one of the Ten Elites in Bardoff City. Our family isn't capable of taking them on."They might even get themselves in serious trouble."What if you work together with Alec? If you need further help, the Windsors can step in too. I'm sure they'd be interested in his venture." The fall of the Glass family only meant
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