Jenny was spotted by Evan the moment she walked into the restaurant. He waved her over. "Here, sit. Food's almost ready.""Sorry for making you wait." Jenny went to sit opposite Evan across the table.Evan waved her off but didn't ask her how she got there. He'd seen Alec drop her off from the restaurant windows. Evan respected Alec for being generous enough to drive Jenny over for their dinner, knowing it was with his love rival. He wouldn't have been kind enough to do that himself.The food was soon served, most of it Jenny's favorite. "Eat up while it's hot.""Don't mind if I do." Jenny had been starving since the afternoon, so she quickly helped herself to dinner."This is really good, Evan. Where'd you find this place?""I drove by a couple of times and saw they had a lot of customers, so I figured they must be doing something right. I wanted you to try it out, so here we are," Evan happily answered, passing some mashed yams to Jenny."Wow," Jenny thought. "I wouldn't hav
As the two walked, they failed to notice the car trailing behind them a distance away.Though Alec didn't seem to care, he was rolling in waves of jealousy. That was why he never left the restaurant after dropping Jenny off.He ended up reaching the concert hall with the both of them, only stopping when they entered and disappeared from sight."The fuck is wrong with you, man? Jenny would never tolerate you stalking her like this," he groaned, rubbing his face tiredly.After thinking things through, he drove off, leaving the two alone. There were far more important things to do right now.…Graham never expected Rowena to show up in front of him ever again. He'd thought she'd be wise enough to stay hidden for the rest of her life with the money he gave her.She really did think he wouldn't do anything to her, huh?"What are you doing here?" Graham grunted coldly. No point faking the pleasantries now.Rowena didn't get upset with his attitude. She was there to ask for help, aft
Graham knew reasoning with her was pointless and waved her off. "The court will decide what happens. I have no power over them nor will I use my power.""Will you really not give him a chance?" Rowena pleaded. She had prepared herself for Graham's cruelty, but her heart was still pained at actually experiencing it. She had loved this man once, after all."See her out." Graham no longer wanted to speak to nor see her again. "From this day onward, I will no longer see to Ms. Glass nor do I want her in my house!"Some of the servants in the household were used to Rowena's presence over the years and would still treat her as the matriarch whenever she came around. Surely they'd no longer make the same mistake now.Rowena glared at him, eyes red with unshed tears. "I'll remember this, Graham Walter!"She had decided to let go of the past after their divorce and instead spend her days doing what she loved with the money she had. In fact, she'd been happier than she'd ever been when she
When Jenny entered the living room, Graham was still fuming from his conversation with Rowena. He hadn't anticipated how bold she was, even begging for Randy's life.Jenny noticed how angry her father was and asked kindly, "What's up, Dad?"Only then did Graham come to his senses. "Nothing much, just Rowena. She asked if I could let Randy go. I don't understand where she got her confidence from.""No point ruminating on it. We'll never understand people's minds." The Glasses were important to Rowena. That woman was even willing to destroy the family she married into, so Jenny wouldn't put this past her.Graham sighed, dropping the topic. "It's late. Did you do overtime?""Nah. Evan invited me for dinner, then we went to a concert." Jenny poured a glass of water as she spoke, then sat across Graham,The man seemed pleased by that. "How was it? Was it fun?""It was alright." Not too fun. Just…normal."You've heard of the circulating rumors, haven't you?" Graham then asked, observ
Graham knew his daughter wasn't being sarcastic. "I just worry about you, you know.""I know, but you don't need to. I've survived on my own all these years, haven't I?" She was already an adult, for God's sake.But the man felt guiltier hearing that. "It's because you had to survive on your own without my help that I feel guilty, Jenny. All I hope is that you can finally find a nice young man to be with so he can protect you when I can't.""Then you've got it wrong, Dad. There's no upside to relying on others these days." She had never considered finding someone to protect her. Even if she did, she wanted to actually like that person.Graham shook his head, sighing again. "Where you got your steadfastness from, I have no idea."Jenny smiled but said nothing in return."You still have feelings for Alec Faust, don't you?" her father asked, still worried.Jenny stiffened up instantly. She hadn't prepared herself for that question. "Why do you ask? It's been ages since we were toge
The following days passed by peacefully. Jenny got used to going to work at the hospital every day while being updated with progress at her companies. She had her personal space most of the time, so life now was much more enjoyable than she had given it credit for.When she heard about Randy's death, Alec was just knocking on her door. Jenny was less reluctant to push him out now, likely because he had saved her from certain death those nights ago.She hung up her call, then chewed on her lip in thought. After a while, she asked Alec, "Did you do this?""What?" Alec blinked, not understanding her question."Randy Glass is dead." He was found dead in his cell before the date of his trial, which, to Jenny, only indicated that something was wrong.The only person she could imagine having sent the kill order would be Alec.The man instantly understood what she was asking. He shook his head. "Wasn't me."Jenny frowned. "Really?"Who could it be, then? It couldn't be her father, righ
Evan walked out of Walter Inc building and got into his car, the pleasant smile on his face disappearing instantly."It's done, Boss," someone reported to him.Evan nodded. "No traces?""None. You can trust our skill, Boss."Evan nodded again, satisfied.But the man continued, "But Boss, how did that Glass kid piss you off for you to have sent us after him?"That was the first time the Boss had sent them on a job after returning to the country, so they were quite interested to hear the reason behind it."He nearly killed someone I care deeply about." Came the response. "That's why."If his trial had landed him in capital punishment, Evan wouldn't have done it. He couldn't tolerate Randy being alive any longer after nearly taking Jenny away from him.The men didn't know who this person Evan cared about was, but they didn't pry. So long as their Boss tasked them with a job, they'd get it done, no questions asked."Any updates on Alec Faust?""No, sir. He lives a very routine l
"What about the Fausts?" Jenny asked curiously.Alec grinned. "They'll be my dowry. That way, the Walters will be number one in the Ten Elites of Bardoff. What do you think?""Sounds like a dream." Heck, she had a feeling Alec might not even be bluffing.But…Did she actually want that?There was no decipherable answer she could find from her heart.Her silence encouraged Alec to continue, "Well? What do you think? You'd gain lots from marrying me."Far more than marrying Evan, in the least."Ugh." Jenny rolled her eyes again and dropped the topic. Besides the fact that Alec marrying into the Walters was incredibly far-fetched, there was still the fact that she didn't want it to happen.The family was already occupied enough with Evan in the picture. They didn't need Alec getting in the mix.Alec smiled but decided not to respond. Of course, having Jenny marry into his family would be more ideal. Still, he didn't mind the opposite, as long as Jenny allowed it.While the two
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