At that moment, James felt upset and frustrated. "Why would you think you could leave just because our engagement is over?" he asked, displeased."James...""Do you think I brought you here so that you would become Mrs. Windsor?" James interrupted Jolene before she could speak, his eyes filled with contempt. Without waiting for Jolene's response, he continued, "I brought you here to be a servant! To serve me and to pay for your sins against me!"Feeling wronged, Jolene couldn't help but argue, "But I've been serving you for so long. Isn't that enough?""No, it isn't! Of course, it isn't!" James stared at her fiercely. "Since you dared to plot against me, be prepared to be tormented by me for the rest of your life. Do you think you can leave so easily? Dream on." James fumed inwardly, "Who do you take me for? After that despicable trick you pulled on me in the past, do you think you can make up for it with so little effort? How ridiculous!"Jolene was truly scared now. Did that m
That night, Jenny didn't get a visit from Melissa's senior, but she received a call from Jolene instead. She looked at the screen of her phone with confusion, especially when she saw that the caller was her half-sister. She felt it was somewhat unreal."Why is Jolene calling me? Strange!" Jenny thought.After a moment of contemplation, she decided to answer the call. After all, Jolene posed no threat to her now, and she was curious about what she had to say."Jenny," Jolene's voice came through the phone, thick with sobs.Jenny was surprised and asked, "What's wrong?""I want to leave Bardoff City and go abroad with my mother. I won't appear in front of you anymore, okay?" she said.Jenny chuckled at her words. "What does that have anything to do with me? You can go anywhere you like with Rowena. Why would you need my permission?"However, she was still concerned about the news that Rowena was going abroad. She felt that they were letting Rowena off too easily if she was allowed
After hanging up on Jolene, Jenny immediately dialed James' number without any delay. The call took a while to connect, and James' voice came through, saying, "Jenny, why are you calling so late? What's the matter?"At James' question, Jenny didn't know what to say for a moment and fell into silence. "Jenny?" James called her name, sounding worried.Taking a deep breath, Jenny decided it was best to be direct instead of beating around the bush. "James, Jolene just called me."James' face immediately darkened upon hearing that, though Jenny couldn't see it. "She said she wants to go abroad with Rowena, but you won't let her.""That's right. She had plotted against me, and we're not even yet. Of course I won't let her go." James tried to keep his emotions in check and not let them fluctuate too much. It wasn't worth getting emotional over a woman like Jolene.Jenny frowned, her intuition telling her that this wasn't the real reason James was stopping Jolene from leaving. "James,
Jolene finally opened the door. On the one hand, she was afraid that James would wreck the door, and on the other hand, she understood since this was James' house, he could still unlock the door with his keys even if she refused to open up."Why...why are you looking for me?" Jolene looked at him reluctantly, fear written all over her face."Ah!"The next second, James lifted Jolene, and the feeling of being suspended in midair amplified her fear to the extreme. "James! What are you doing? Are you crazy?""I underestimated you. You had the gall to call Jenny. Don't you feel ashamed?" James asked her, eyes stormy and cold.Upon hearing that, Jolene's emotions became immensely complicated. While she was happy that Jenny called James, she was also saddened at the same time by James' huge reaction, which was likely because of Jenny. She thought that James reacted that way because he was displeased that she'd disturbed Jenny.Jolene gritted her teeth and tried to keep her fear from
When news of it reached Jenny's ears, her anxious heart finally settled. Fortunately, things were not as bad as she had imagined. She didn't pay much attention to the matter after that. In her opinion, as long as Jolene left, the matter was considered over.She continued to work diligently at Bardoff Hospital. After some time in the hospital, she had slowly built up her reputation. Now, there were quite a few people who came to her for treatment every day, and Jenny had once again found a sense of accomplishment of her own.After a busy day, she was exhausted. She changed her clothes and walked out of the hospital, intending to go back early and rest. However, she didn't expect to see Flint, who hadn't shown up for the past few days, waiting for her today.It was not that Jenny had seen a picture of him beforehand. Flint wore a black tracksuit and stood right before the hospital entrance, making his presence known. It was easy to guess who he was since he was being so obvious about
Flint rolled his eyes at her and said, "As martial artists, we value the reputation of our masters the most. Your defeating both Jonathan and Melissa successively has brought great shame to us. My main purpose of coming here is to uphold my master's dignity!" As for avenging Jonathan, it was secondary. In his opinion, Jonathan was inferior in skill, and if he died, he could only blame it on his lackluster skills. Revenge wasn't strictly necessary. But the problem was Jenny defeated Jonathan and then Melissa. Wouldn't that mean Tywin Munster's disciple was stronger than Olanna Roy's disciples? Jenny thought, "How was I supposed to know that was what you were thinking? If you come looking for trouble, I can't just sit around and wait to get my ass kicked, can I?"Melissa didn't expect Flint to harbor such thoughts, so she was immediately irritated upon hearing his words. "Flint! Do you think you're the spokesperson for our master? Master hasn't even spoken up yet, so why are you sti
Flint took a deep look at her but didn't say anything else. "Let's call it a draw this time. Neither of us won."Jenny was about to refuse, but Flint didn't wait for her to speak and had already walked toward the parking lot exit.Seeing him walk away, Jenny was speechless. "Has he always been like this?""Do you find him strange?" Melissa asked as she looked in the direction of the retreating Flint.Jenny nodded. "He's a little strange indeed, but he's not as bad as you make him out to be."Melissa shrugged. She couldn't really tell what was going on in Flint's mind. Seeing that the matter was over without causing too much commotion, she breathed a sigh of relief."Anyway, I'm glad we didn't get into an ugly fight with Flint. It's a pity I didn't have a chance to make a move."As soon as she finished speaking, her phone rang. Melissa glanced at her phone screen and found it was a call from the bar's management. She answered the call and listened to the person on the other end e
Jenny wanted to turn him down, but she was a bit hesitant. After all, she didn't exactly have any conflicts with Luke. It seemed rather unreasonable for her to refuse him outrightly. She thought she shouldn't let Alec affect her that much.As she thought about it, Luke continued, "Jenny, Walter Inc and Faust Group haven't tried collaborating over the years. I happen to have a good project in hand now. Why don't you consider it?""Since you put it that way, what reason do I have to refuse you?" Jenny agreed with a polite smile. It was also at that moment she realized the reason why she didn't like Luke.Luke was the kind of person who would not give up until he achieved his goal, and to do that, he wouldn't bat an eye when resorting to unscrupulous means. That was why Jenny instinctively disliked him.However, as Luke had mentioned, both families had never worked together before. If he really had a good project in hand, Jenny wouldn't mind having a meal with him. After all, it was j
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