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
They did not stop embracing until footsteps sounded from behind them. Seeing Alec still in the hallway, Graham frowned. "What are you still doing here?""I'm just about to leave." Alec nodded slightly and smiled at Jenny before taking out his house keys and unlocking the condo across from Jenny's."Goodnight," he greeted the father and daughter, then went inside.Jenny turned to go back into her place when she noticed how grumpy her father looked. "Are…you okay?""He lives here?" Graham asked sternly. Why else would the heir to Parrington's top family be living there except to stay close to his daughter? Graham fumed at the thought.Jenny hurriedly explained, "He's lived here long before I have."She was telling the truth too. Alec had lived in the neighboring apartment even during the two years of their marriage.Graham snorted. "She's defending him again," he thought."Alright, why don't you get some rest?" Jenny went up to her father with a smile, hand gently wrapping around
After settling her resignation matters, Jenny left the admin office. She spotted Morgan and her colleagues gazing at her sadly from afar. With a smile, she went up to them and said, "Join me for dinner tonight. My treat.""Of course, I'm coming," Morgan beamed along with the others. They weren't as close with Jenny as Morgan was, but obviously, none of them were glad that things would be returning to what they were without Jenny.After they left, Morgan held Jenny's hand and whined, "Are you really going to quit, Jenny? No second thoughts?""None." Jenny shrugged. "I have too many things to take care of in Bardoff. So I have to leave.""You are recognized by the Walter family now, after all." She had found out what had happened from the news. The social gap between her and Jenny never felt farther than now."It's nothing to do with that. I'm still me. Being accepted by a family that shares my surname won't change me into a new person." She wasn't leaving because of the Walters inf
But Jenny's patients didn't give her room to refuse. They turned and left, leaving her with all the gifts and items on the floor. Jenny sniffled, feeling touched to the core as she gazed at them.It further strengthened her will to continue being a doctor to help others. Focusing on her business and becoming heir to her family would make her richer, but this couldn't top the satisfaction and pride being a doctor gave her.Jenny ended up distributing the gifts to several other colleagues throughout the hospital. She hadn't been the patients' sole helper, after all.After leaving the hospital, Jenny went to find Zack. She nearly thought she had mistaken him for someone else when they met.Was this bespectacled, suited man really her brother?"Jenny!" he greeted warmly. When he smiled, Jenny finally saw that this was indeed her brother."You've changed so much, Zack. I nearly didn't recognize you!""I'm now one of the upper class in Parrington, so of course, I have to dress the par
Jenny and Zack had lunch together before she went to meet up with Joey. She left him some kind words and advice before finally retiring to her apartment. Dinner was spent with her colleagues. They had several toasts to her health before their director grumbled that things wouldn't be the same once Jenny left. Their one solace was that Jenny would still come back to perform surgeries if needed.The people enjoyed their dinner, all sad to see Jenny go but in awe of her at the same time. A skilled doctor with such a powerful background would naturally get a lot of admiration.Near the end, Jenny slipped to the washroom to freshen up. She was slightly tipsy from all the drinks she had. When she stepped out, Jared was there waiting for her."Dr. Stewart." Jenny nodded."Are you really leaving?" the man asked, voice thick with emotion.Jenny nodded, not explaining further. What else was this dinner for?Jared sighed. "Dr. Walter, I've…I've always liked you."Jenny stared at him in s
Already in a bad mood because of Jenny's rejection, Jared grumbled, "Do I have to report everything to you? Mind your own business, will you?""Jared Stewart!" the nurse huffed. "I'm your girlfriend. Can’t I care about your business?""You're my girlfriend, not my wife," Jared sneered. She wasn't fit to be his wife yet, he thought.The woman then angrily slapped him on the cheek. "You jerk!"She had already been annoyed with Jared for flirting with other women at their workplace, so his words now triggered her to no end. "I know you think I'm not worth your time, so you go and try to move up the social ladder whenever you can, but have you looked at yourself? You really think the other person has eyes for you?"With that said, her gaze briefly lingered on Jenny. The commotion had long attracted the attention of nearly every diner. Some were amused, and some were shaking their heads in exasperation. Couldn't the two lovebirds leave their Romeo and Juliet act behind closed doors
Sleep crashed into Jenny the moment she sat back in the front passenger seat. She drifted off almost instantly, trusting the man beside her. Alec didn't say anything throughout the ride, he only slowed his driving speed.They soon reached home.Just as Alec was wondering whether to carry Jenny back home or wait for her to awaken, she slowly blinked her eyes open."Sorry…fell asleep." she yawned. Embarrassment laced her tone. She didn't even remember when she started sleeping.Alec shrugged and opened the door for her. "Get some rest."With an arm around her shoulders, Alec led Jenny inside the building. Jenny wasn't in a rush to go back. Her father was still at her place, so they wouldn't be able to spend time with each other any further for the night if she went back."Can we go to your place for a bit?" Jenny asked suddenly.Alec took a split second to recover from his surprise before responding, "Sure."He unlocked his door, and the two stepped in.The apartment decor had
Alec was somewhat surprised by the seriousness of her question. He gave it some serious thought for several minutes.After what seemed like a year, he met Jenny's gaze again. "I like how dedicated you are and how strong you make yourself be. I like everything about you."The first time Alec had seen her, she was tending to a patient. The patient hadn't believed in her skill and had called for the hospital director to vouch for her. Alec had stepped in to vouch for her instead. He hadn't thought much of it at first—he just wanted to plant a good impression since he also wanted Jenny to operate on him.But things escalated so quickly after they met. He never imagined that he would fall in love with her. Only after all the time they had spent together did he realize he had fallen for her the moment he got to know her."I'm not as nice a person as you say I am, you know," Jenny huffed. She wasn't a saint."That's alright. All that matters is that I think you are," Alec beamed. Jenny w
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