Paul opened the door to a private lounge in JK bar and promptly frowned at the sight. "What are you doing, drinking in the afternoon instead of working? Alec, are you alright?"As he spoke, he sat across from his friend, looking both concerned and curious."I'm okay," Alec muttered and downed another shot.He certainly did not appear fine in Paul's eyes. He thought for a while and asked, "Looks like you're upset because of Jenny Walter. Why? Didn't you talk to her?""I did. She said she never wants to see me again," Alec answered with a hint of bitterness.At first, Paul was surprised by her resolve, but he could understand why. "It's your fault for being married for two years but refusing to meet your wife even once. I can understand her resentment toward you.""But I never thought that she would…" Alec sighed. He was a little regretful for not meeting with Jenny earlier and saving his marriage.Paul went over to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Why did her attitude upset y
The next day, Stephanie treated Jenny to dinner as an apology for standing her up."You were always fooling around. I'm surprised to see the serious side of you after you started working," Jenny joked while sipping on juice. After the Walkers nearly went bankrupt, Stephanie officially started working at Walker Inc. That was why the two had not caught up in a while—Stephanie was too busy getting up to speed at work.Stephanie sighed defeatedly. "I don't have a choice. My dad only has a daughter. Had I not taken over, he would have sold the company for cheap.""I think it's good—you're realizing your purpose in life." Apart from the two years of marriage, Jenny had not taken any break, as her dream was to maximize her potential. Stephanie, who could never understand her ideals, said with a long face, "A workaholic like you will never get me. By the way, how are things between you and Alec?" She stared at Jenny with anticipation, ready for gossip. Jenny rolled her eyes. "What else? H
Jenny's worry did not materialize. The three guys dragged her into the van but ignored Stephanie altogether. Then, they quickly fled the scene.Everything happened too fast. After the van disappeared into the night, Stephanie finally pulled herself together and called the police in a panic. Even after making a police report, a strong sense of worry plagued her."No! I can't let anything happen to Jenny!" With that in mind, she dialed the number she had saved on her phone yesterday. A black car was parked in a corner where she was not looking. The men in the car looked in Stephanie's direction through binoculars."Why is there only one of them? I thought the two women would be heading this way?" one of them questioned."Mr. Dickman is only after Jenny Walter. If we lose track of her, we will be in trouble."The car swiftly vanished in an attempt to track Jenny down.Inside the CEO's office of Faust Group, Alec felt a random palpitation during Vincent's work report presentation.
Jenny overheard the conversation among the three men and soon figured out the situation. Someone had hired these men to abduct her but wanted her assaulted, not killed. Analyzing the situation calmly, she confirmed that there were only three men around her. They were no match for her under normal circumstances. However, she recalled feeling weak and dizzy when they hauled her into the van, and she understood that she must have been drugged. Her only trip out today was for lunch with Stephanie, and the abduction happened after she left the restaurant. She concluded that she must have been drugged at the restaurant.She was focused on thinking because she was not intimidated by the three men at all. Her only goal was to find out the identity of the client who hired them.Soon, the van came to a stop, and someone reached out to lift her. She pretended that she had just woken up."Who are you? What are you doing to me?" she exclaimed, acting terrified. The icy look in her eyes was mas
Steven felt uneasy after learning about Jenny's background, but even if he knew that Dr. Walter was Alec Faust's ex-wife, he would still put his hands on her. After all, it was rare to come across a beauty like her. If he didn't try her, he would regret it for the rest of his life. Of course, he was smart enough to keep his thoughts to himself, or else he might risk getting beaten up by Alec.He pressed his bruised cheek and explained the situation to Alec. He wrapped up with honesty, "She's not here. My men couldn't find her too."Alec obviously didn't trust his words. He scanned the villa and stared at Steven. Steven felt a chill down his spine, like he was the target of a predator. "Alec, I swear I am telling you the truth!"They were distracted by Alec's ringtone. Alec quickly took the call and briskly left the villa, leaving the others wondering what had been said.Seeing that, Steven heaved a relieved sigh. Once Alec was gone, he immediately ordered, "Get the car. I need to
At that second, a ruthless look crept into Jenny's eyes. She clutched her penknife tightly when Pip walked toward her. Once he was close enough, she could strike him down.Her plan was interrupted when Drew, who was keeping guard at the door, shouted, "Gus! There are cars."Before Gus and Pip could react, a red sports car crashed through the warehouse, followed by a black Rolls-Royce Phantom. Max and Alec emerged from their respective cars with murderous looks in their eyes, scanning the three men in front of them."Who are you?" Gus beckoned to Pip and Drew as he placed a knife on Jenny's neck, holding her hostage. He glared warily at the two intruders.Speechless, Jenny thought, "Why are they here?" She could have ambushed the three men, but with a knife on her neck, she lost the chance to make a move.Max stared at the men, amused. "Of all people, you chose to assault my dear Jenny. Do you want to go to hell?" "Free her," Alec demanded calmly, but he was burning with anger in
Once she defeated the three men, she stepped on one of their faces and turned around to address Max and Alec. "I told you I didn't need your help."They were too shocked to speak, and "savage" was the first word to appear in their minds.Yes, savage. They had never seen a woman this skilled in martial arts.Jenny shifted her attention to her abductors. "Call your client."In an odd display of loyalty, the man stayed silent and still. She smirked at his defiance and flashed a knife in her hands. Without hesitation, she slashed his arm."Ouch!" The man yelped. She bent over and hissed like a demon, "Make. The. Call. Or you can guess where I am making the next cut.""I will! I'll make the call." Gus nodded furiously, panting heavily in pain. She nodded in satisfaction. Knowing that they were amateurs, it was no surprise that they'd rat out their clients.Once the call was connected, they heard a female voice trembling with anticipation and glee. "Is the job done? Send me the vide
On their way back to the city, Max squinted at Jenny and whispered, "Are you okay?""Yes, I'm fine," she answered. After a slight pause, she emerged from her daze and added, "Thanks."He shook his head, smiling. "You don't have to thank me. I did nothing.""I'm glad that you came to save me. That itself speaks volumes." She didn't mind the fact that he hadn't done anything to help. It was decided—she owed Max a favor.As for Alec… Her expression changed at the thought of him. Since Faye was his woman, her actions implicated him too."Should I send you back to Perry Residence?" Max could tell she was in a bad mood, but he refrained from asking questions. After all, he was happy enough to see Alec upset. He could figure out the reason behind the grudge later.Jenny nodded without another word. She was thinking of revenge.…At the Lawrence Residence, Faye sat on her bed with a pale face. She panicked after she was exposed but soon forced herself to calm down."So what if Dr. Wal
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