Alec decided to come back the next day instead of waiting till the end of Jenny's operation. After all, his grandfather's birthday was the day after the next, so there was still time to invite her.When he entered his car and was about to head to work, Yvonne called him. "Alec, are you free this afternoon? Come shopping with me. I haven't been back for two years, and Parrington has changed a lot.""Sorry, I'll be busy this afternoon." Alec refused her invitation. If it weren't for Jenny, he would have agreed. However, after the incident with Jenny, he had an unexplainable dislike for the Dickmans. Since Jenny didn't like Yvonne, he didn't want to be too close to her.Yvonne didn't expect to be rejected. Although she was angry, she didn't lash out at him. Instead, she said, "The day after tomorrow is your grandfather's birthday. I want to choose a gift for him, but I don't know what he likes, so I just—”Although he couldn't see her, Alec could imagine the sad look on her face. It
They left the hospital together. Since Morgan was driving, Jenny waited for her to pick her up from the lobby. Soon, a Ferrari sports car sporting a checker pattern coating pulled up in front of her. At the sight, Jenny had an inkling that her assistant was rather rich.As she entered the car, she couldn't help but laugh. "If you're so rich, why would you choose to be a doctor? Don't you know how difficult this job is?""Since I'm rich, shouldn't I choose to do something more meaningful?" Morgan replied. It was the same answer she would give her family when they asked her that question. Jenny stopped laughing as her words seemed to make sense. They soon arrived at the best shopping mall in Parrington and got out of the car.Holding Jenny's arm, Morgan said, "Dr. Walter, let's grab a meal first.""Okay." Jenny nodded and said, "You can call me Jenny outside the hospital."Morgan covered her mouth in joy. "You finally told me your first name. Does this mean we're friends?""Wel
Jenny blamed it on her rotten luck. Parrington was a big city, so why did she always run into Alec?As if he could feel her gaze, Alec looked in her direction and met her eyes. A wave of complex emotions hit him."It's Miss Walter and her friend." Yvonne followed Alec's gaze and spotted Jenny on the nearby table.Jenny had already turned away. Smiling at Morgan, she told her, "You know the best food here better than me, so you can order for us. I'm not a picky eater.""Alright," Morgan didn't refuse her request as she was more familiar with the food. They stopped paying attention to Alec and Yvonne as if they were mere strangers."Do you want to go over and say hello, Alec?" Yvonne asked.Alec shook his head. "No thanks."He knew Jenny disliked him, especially after what she had said the night before. If he still pestered her, things would not turn out well. Regarding his grandfather's order, Alec had an inkling he was about to be disappointed.After dinner, Morgan led Jenny ar
Before Morgan could recover from her shock, Yvonne asked, "You know what Alec's grandfather likes, Miss Walter?""Well, I just have a general idea of what elderly people like," Jenny answered.That made sense to Yvonne. Jenny wasn't even acquainted with Alec's grandfather, so how could she know what he liked? However, Alec didn't think the same way. Although he never met Jenny when they were married, his grandfather hung out with her a lot. Hence, it would come as no surprise if she knew what the old man liked.Ignoring Alec's pointed look, Jenny tugged Morgan away. "Come on. Let's go buy him some gifts.""Okay." Morgan nodded before politely waving to Alec and Yvonne.Just as they were about to leave the store, Yvonne suddenly asked, "Alec, did you invite Miss Walter to attend your grandfather's birthday party?"Hearing that, Jenny, who was at the door, stopped in her tracks. She wanted to attend Old Mr. Faust's birthday party. After all, he had treated her well during those
As Mr. Lawson and Jenny chatted away, Morgan watched and listened silently. Although she couldn't join the conversation, she wasn't upset at all. Soon, the clerk returned to them with the item Mr. Lawson had asked for and handed it to Jenny."This is the premium paintbrush that just arrived. Mr. Faust likes this one the most," Mr. Lawson said with a smile.Jenny nodded as she inspected it. Based on her understanding of Old Mr. Faust, things pertaining to art, such as paintbrushes and canvas, had a special place in his heart. In the past, whenever Jenny visited the Old Mansion for dinner, she would visit Mr. Lawson's store to buy something for Old Mr. Faust, which brought him great joy each time. Jenny handed the item to Morgan, saying, "Give this to him. He'll like it.""Okay." Morgan had no doubts about Jenny's decision. "How much is it?" Mr. Lawson smiled at her and jokingly said, "Money is not important.""What do you mean?" Morgan was confused."It's 108 thousand dollars
"These are all my precious collections. Let me know which one is to your liking, and I'll give you a discount." Mr. Lawson scanned the collection he had made over the years, feeling proud and satisfied. If it were someone else instead of Jenny, they would not be allowed into the room.Surveying the room, Jenny asked, "Mr. Lawson, I'm also looking for a gift for Mr. Faust. What do you think would be a good gift for him?""You know him too?" Mr. Lawson was surprised because he didn't know about Jenny's past marriage."Yes, I know him." Jenny nodded. "He's pretty nice to me, so I want to give him a gift in return.""I heard he likes Mr. Birkett's paintings the most," Mr. Lawson said. "Wouldn't it be better to ask Mr. Birkett for a painting?" Jenny was a little frustrated as she had auctioned off Mr. Birkett's painting. Old Mr. Faust's birthday party hadn't crossed her mind back then."Mr. Birkett has gone traveling to gain inspiration, and I don't know where he is." The day aft
Jenny left immediately after saying that. Thinking that she was leaving in embarrassment, Yvonne felt very proud of herself. Just as she was about to say something to Alec, he approached Mr. Lawson."Mr. Lawson," he greeted him respectfully."Well, if it isn't Mr. Faust," Mr. Lawson said, glancing at him indifferently."My grandfather will be celebrating his birthday the day after tomorrow. Will you be free?" Alec didn't know if his grandfather had sent an invitation letter to Mr. Lawson, so he decided to invite him in person just in case.Mr. Lawson sat on a chair and squinted at him. "I'm a busy, old man. I don't have time to attend his party.""Mr. Lawson—""Mr. Faust, I'm running a business here." With that, Mr. Lawson instructed his staff to remove them from his premise. Before that, he had a good impression of Alec before. Now, however…His eyes landed on Yvonne. He decided a man with a girlfriend like that must have a poor eye."You—" Annoyed that Alec had been rejecte
Alec didn't know if he considered himself lucky or not, for he didn't meet Jenny in the lobby. Feeling rather disappointed, he entered the elevator. Just as the doors were closing, a hand reached out to block them. "Wait a minute!""Jen—"Before he finished, he realized it wasn't Jenny, but a woman dressed primly. "Mr. Faust, you live here?" the woman asked in surprise. It was obvious that she knew who Alec was. She wondered why the mighty Mr. Faust stayed in Perry Residence.Alec, however, didn't know who she was. "Yes. Who are you?" he asked. "I'm a representative from DR Apparel. You brought Miss Lawrence to us to order a dress before," she replied.Although Alec didn't quite recall the incident, he nodded in silence. People around him tended to keep quiet when he was silent too, afraid to break the silence. Soon, the elevator reached his floor, and the two of them walked out together. "You live here too?" Alec asked with a frown."No, I'm here to deliver a dress to o
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