Stephanie shuddered just the slightest when she heard Jenny's name. "Really? When did she come back? She never told me.""She's one of the Bardoff City Ten Elites now," Paul scoffed, ecstatic that Stephanie might never see Jenny again. "She might've forgotten all about you."Stephanie hummed quietly, though she knew deep in her heart that Jenny would never do that.Paul wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry. Unlike her, I'd never ever leave you behind.""Really?" Stephanie asked.Paul didn't answer, choosing to respond with his actions instead.…The next morning, sunlight filtered into the room and brought life to the mess of sheets and limbs on the bed. Stephanie opened her eyes. The space on the bed where Paul had been was already cold. He must've left for work.She got up and showered, put on some makeup, then started packing her things.She really hadn't known Jenny had come back to Parrington. But the moment she did, she knew her time to leave had come.Stephanie lo
After several long seconds, just before Stephanie was about to say something again, Paul said, "I'll have some of my men guard you two. It's not safe for women to be out on the streets.""Paul…""They'll just be there to protect you, nothing else."Obviously, Stephanie didn't buy that. "Protecting her" was just another way to spy on her.Stephanie was about to refuse when Jenny made a subtle signal to her. Stephanie sighed, "Alright, fine."After hanging up the call, Jenny and Stephanie left the villa by car with Paul's men tailing them.In the car, Stephanie asked, "Are my Mom and Dad—""They're safe. They've already reached Bardoff City. I'm here just for you."Hearing this, Stephanie finally relaxed. All that mattered to her was her parents' safety. She eyed the cars behind her, guessing a good handful of Paul's men might be watching out for them. "Are you sure we'll be able to leave? I can always…""Don't worry about it. I'm only here today because I know we will succeed,"
The pen in Paul's grip snapped in half. He instantly called his guards. "Where is she?""Ms. Walker is in the washroom with Miss Walter, sir," the bodyguard replied, oblivious to what was happening.Paul's temple throbbed. "How long has that been?"The guard's heart fell with the sudden realization. "At least ten minutes, sir.""Go find her, you piece of shit!" Paul roared, then stormed off from his desk and out the door. "Have all eyes on the airport shuttle buses," he ordered his men. "If any of you let Stephanie get away, I will make your life a living hell!"He had already guessed there was a hidden agenda behind Jenny visiting Stephanie. Meanwhile, the two women were still on the road. Jenny kept glancing at her watch while telling the driver to speed up. The moment Paul discovered the Walkers had left Parrington, he would immediately know of Stephanie's escape. That was why they needed to hurry at all costs. Seeing how worried she was, even Stephanie started to sweat. L
Paul's tone oozed with confidence, believing Stephanie wanted to stay of her own volition and only left because of Jenny's meddling.Jenny didn't share the same thought. "Steph, do you still want to stay with him?" she asked. If the answer was yes, she'd leave the two alone right away.Stephanie glanced at Jenny, then at Paul, and sighed, "No."Jenny smiled while Paul flew into a fit of rage. "Think twice before you answer that question, Stephanie Walker!"Why wouldn't she want to stay? Hadn't they had such a good time together? He had thought she'd given up entirely on leaving him."I have Paul. Countless times. I don't want to stay anymore, Paul. I'm a person, not an object. I know what I want." As much as she liked Paul, she wasn't going to stay with him, not when he treated her that way.Paul's hands clenched into fists. "Alright…al-fucking-right then!""Well? Steph doesn't want to stay. So, are you going to let us go or force us to stay?" Jenny sneered. She had already gu
As angry as Paul was, he still found himself somewhat scared of what Stephanie would say next.The woman gazed at him for a moment before sighing. "I can't change what you think, and so be it."Paul nearly lunged at her. "Alright then!" He gritted out, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to keep Stephanie by his side anymore. With a sneer, he said, "You really think you can rest easy in Bardoff City? I've told you once, and I'll tell you again; I will always find a way to bring you back to my side, Stephanie Walker. No matter where you run off to."Stephanie frowned. "Paul—""Get out of my sight!" he yelled. The circle of men around them broke, leaving a clear path to board the plane once again.Jenny and Stephanie were shocked, but after a moment's delay, Jenny tugged at her friend's arm and headed for the plane. "Let's go."Once they boarded, Graham ordered the pilot to take off, but not before taking a long look at Paul Wagner. He was memorizing his face because he knew t
Alec paused at the question. After a moment's consideration, he said, "What's the point of being scared? It's not like I can hold her back from her path. All I can do is give it my all and hope I can keep up with her."He knew just how much he needed to accomplish in order to stay on equal footing with Jenny. It would take months, at least, for the Faust Group to be on par with the Walters. Giving up now would only mean growing further and further away from her."Seems like you really love her," Paul huffed. Did he really think so, or was that his way of mocking Alec?Alec nodded. "What about you? Don't you love Stephanie?"Paul's smile instantly disappeared. He seemed to hate the question. "Love? How could I ever love someone as heartless as her?"He was never going to love her, not in this life or the next.Alec shook his head. Paul really cared more about his ego than himself."Whatever, man. As long as you don't regret what you've done." There was no use in saying too much a
Jenny sighed in relief to see her friend still clear of mind. She had been really worried that Stephanie might insist on continuing to stick by Paul's side despite being treated like a pet. She couldn't stop Stephanie then—it would be her own choice. Jenny would be no different from Paul if she forced her friend. So really it was fortunate for Stephanie that she still had her wits about.They soon landed in Bardoff City. The two women had just left the airport gates when Charles Walker and his wife rushed to greet their daughter. "Stephanie!" they cried. With tears in her eyes, Stephanie dove into their arms. "Mom! Dad!"Jenny felt great seeing the family reunite. She turned to Graham and thanked him for all his help."I'm your father, Jenny. Don't need to be so courteous." Graham didn't like how her attitude seemed to put some distance between them.Jenny smiled but said nothing. Father or not, he wasn't obliged to help her, so she truly was grateful he had."Why don't you head
Jenny was happy for Stephanie. "Do your best then. We'll see how we fare."They chatted leisurely for a while before Stephanie's mother called them to come out for lunch. Jenny joined them and went to the office right after.When she reached the building, she realized there were considerably more employees than before. It was a telltale of further imposed management systems, which pleased Jenny to no end. Alex and Jade were a power duo, far more effective than she was."Jade," Jenny called after knocking on the door."You're back." Jade smiled, sitting down with her on the lounge.Jenny grinned. "I remember someone said they didn't have what it takes to manage a company as big as this. I wonder where they are now.""It's not me." Jade shrugged. "You have to thank Alfred, really. I'm still just in charge of the design team, nothing else."She hadn't had a hand in the management, trusting Alex to take care of everything. She would place her trust in whoever Jenny trusted, after al
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