More importantly, the Britts were also present. By saying she'd always liked James, Jolene basically admitted to making a fool out of the Britts when she previously agreed to the engagement with Brandon. Many people surreptitiously stole glances at the Britts in the hall to see their expressions. As expected, they clearly weren't thrilled.Brandon didn't exactly like Jolene, but at that moment, everyone looked at him with a sympathetic expression as if they were sorry that he'd been fooled.He'd initially decided not to pursue the matter, but if he left it at that, everyone would think he was too afraid of the Walters to retaliate. Wanting to uphold his dignity, he raised his glass and walked toward Jolene.At that moment, Jolene was busy socializing and receiving well wishes. Tonight was easily the most glorious day in her whole life. Regardless of what others said, she was basically half a Windsor now, and she'd successfully elevated herself to a higher status. Even if those peo
"What nonsense are you spouting? Nothing ever happened between us! If you dare say anything slanderous again, I'll make you pay for it!" She pushed him away forcefully, looking at him warily."What did he mean by 'It's not like I haven't touched you before'? If outsiders hear this, they might think something happened between us," Jolene thought in panic. But in fact, nothing ever happened between them. Jolene didn't want to be wrongly accused of something that never happened.Brandon laughed, not mad at her response at all. "So, you treated my feelings for you so carelessly because nothing really happened between us. Is that what you mean? Jolene, you strung me along and dumped me just like that. What do you take me for?"Although he had ulterior motives when he approached Jolene, the fact that she tricked him was undeniable. He might be taken as a pushover if he didn't fight back.Jolene felt a little guilty and tried to justify herself. "I didn't trick you on purpose. I kind of l
Just as he felt extremely proud of himself, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder, startling him greatly. When he turned around and saw that it was Jenny, he was even more shocked. "Since when have you been here?" he asked."A while ago," Jenny replied."This has nothing to do with you, so go away," Brandon said, holding onto Jolene with no intention of letting her go, even in Jenny's presence.Jenny glanced at the two of them, and Jolene hung her head, feeling ashamed."Brandon, Jolene is my sister. Do you think I'll leave?" She didn't consider Jolene her sister, but she couldn't let Brandon have his way. If Jolene was under his control, the Windsors would be in danger.Brandon frowned. "When did you ever consider her your sister?""That's none of your business. Let her go, and I'll pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, don't blame me for not holding back." Jenny was confident about dealing with him.Brandon was a little confused about Jenny's intentions, so he was speec
The dinner was still ongoing, and the marriage alliance between the Walters and the Windsors meant different things to different people. After all, if these two families joined forces, it was unlikely that anyone would dare to mess with them.Some people didn't think the two families would be on good terms, however, as everyone knew what was going on. At this point, it would be good enough that the Windsors did not hate the Walters.Of course, some others thought things would be different after the marriage—the two families would likely come together for their own interests.Jenny didn't know what everyone had to say about the matter, nor did she care. She didn't know what would happen in the future, but for now, the two families were still working together, although most people didn't know about it.Jenny intended to go find Stephanie, but she saw someone chatting with her from a distance. Seeing that it was a handsome guy, she didn't go over. If Stephanie could get into a new rel
After he said those words, Jenny's expression changed slightly as she looked at him and asked, "Did she offend you somehow?""Not really. I just don't like that kind of woman." Jolene's success in her scheme indirectly encouraged other women who intended to make a move behind the scenes to take a leaf out of her book. Julian would have to watch every drink he had from then onward. Countless women would try to carry out their plans at any cost, not caring about the consequences."If you want to teach her a lesson, that's your business. Don't drag me into it." Jenny didn't want to be implicated later on if Julian did something and blamed it on her for teaching him. She wouldn't be able to explain herself to either the Fausts or Graham.Hearing her response, Julian felt aggrieved. "Jen, I just wanted to help you express your anger.""Come on. Don't pretend to be innocent in front of me, Mr. Faust. Just tell me what's your purpose in approaching me." She was tired of playing along with
The question seemed to weigh heavily on Julian. Jenny stared at him in silence for a while before he slowly spoke up, "That's not exactly the case."Then, he continued, "Although Grandpa has summoned many members of the Faust family back from everywhere, the biggest threat among them is Alec. After all, someone could easily obtain information about his abilities the moment they looked into it. Grandpa has praised him immensely. He has just returned to the Faust family but has secured himself a position in Faust Group. No one else was given this much recognition."Julian himself had only recently joined the company. On the other hand, Alec had only been back for a short time, but he'd become a part of Faust Group. It was obvious that Zeke valued Alec a lot, naturally making the rest of them nervous.As an outsider, Jenny could see through Zeke's intentions at a glance. He purposely directed the attention of his sons and grandsons toward Alec, as he believed that Alec would be a good
Listening to what Julian said, Jenny thought about the oppressive atmosphere in the Faust family. It was no wonder Julian would have such thoughts.She pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Since you're not interested in inheriting the Faust family and your only goal is to prevent Xavier from inheriting everything, why not consider supporting Alec? If he inherits the Faust family business and assets, it won't affect you, right?"Julian looked at her in shock. He blinked a few times, unable to believe what he'd just heard. "You want me to support him?"Jenny nodded."Have you really divorced Alec? It sure doesn't seem like it." Julian looked at Jenny suspiciously. If they were divorced, Jenny shouldn't be helping Alec.Jenny was speechless and rolled her eyes at him. "What's wrong with my suggestion? You're not interested in inheriting the Faust family anyway.""Although I'm not interested, that doesn't mean my dad or sister isn't. If they find out that I intend to support
Stephanie was drinking champagne. Because of Paul's reappearance, she felt a little unenthusiastic about everything that day. However, she didn't refuse when someone approached her for a conversation. After all, she couldn't afford to offend anyone who attended the banquet, so she drank the wine the other party offered. But soon, she realized that something was wrong with it. She had only taken a few sips and already felt a bit unstable on her feet."Miss, are you drunk? Let me take you upstairs to rest." A young man from one of the rich families approached and held Stephanie by her arm, leading her out of the banquet hall.Stephanie was feeling groggy at that moment, and she didn't even know who the person next to her was. "No...I don't want to go..." she murmured softly, but the young man didn't care. He came to the banquet today to find prey and had been eyeing Stephanie for a long time. She was beautiful and didn't come from one of the prominent families, which made her the per
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