Stepping into the cabin, the warmth from the heater enveloped Jenny, and the chill that lingered from when she was outdoors disappeared. She felt much more comfortable. Outside, Max was still directing the workers to set up the venue. It was obvious that he was putting a lot of effort into it, paying attention to every detail. Jenny never expected Max to make such a huge change. He must really like Jade, which caused him to become the man he is today."Say…" Alec suddenly spoke, and Jenny looked at him. "Why didn't he choose to do it indoors? Isn't it freezing outside?"That was a remarkably good question. Jenny didn't hurry to give an answer. Instead, she asked him, "Then why do you think he chose today to confess to Jade?"It was just a confession and not a proposal. The two weren't officially together yet, so Max was jumping through hoops that day just to get Jade to agree to be his girlfriend."I don't know." Alec contemplated it but couldn't figure out what was so special ab
Jenny pulled Jade further into the park and said as they walked, "Don't be anxious. You'll find out soon enough." Soon, Jade, still puzzled, was pulled to the center of the park, and exquisite decorations came into her view. The vivid red roses and balloons stood out, especially in the snow. Jade stopped in her tracks. She looked at Jenny and saw she was smiling at her with a motherly expression. Jade felt a chill run down her spine. Just as Jenny thought she'd figured out what was going on, Jade suddenly asked, "Are you preparing to hold an event here?" "Jade..." "This is quite a good idea. The first snow of the season, coupled with these decorations…This is perfect for a fashion show to launch our new product," Jade analyzed. The next moment, she frowned and said, "However, the color of these flowers and our new product don't match, and these red balloons make it seem like a wedding." As Jade started criticizing the venue, Jenny was rendered speechless and felt helpless a
In the small cabin, Jenny and Alec watched the scene outside unfold but couldn't hear what Max and Jade said to each other. However, they both had their own thoughts upon witnessing the moment from afar.Alec was contemplating whether he should also arrange a grand confession ceremony like Max, but he was afraid that his relationship with Jenny hadn't reached that point yet. What if Jenny rejected him? He wasn't afraid of the embarrassment he would inevitably suffer if that were to happen. His biggest fear was that Jenny might keep her distance from him after she rejected him, and the progress they'd made thus far would come to a halt. That would have distressed him.On the other hand, Jenny was deeply moved by the scene. She felt that Jade was worthy of the effort that Max had put in. Although Jade wasn't her sister by blood, she was as good as one. Jenny had always been concerned about Jade's lifelong happiness. If she got together with Max, she could finally have her happy endin
Jenny's answer was as ambiguous as it could get, and Jade didn't interrogate her further. At the end of the day, it was Jenny and Alec's business; as an outsider, it wasn't appropriate for Jade to be too nosy."Come on. Let's go for a meal together." Max walked over to them. He'd really pull out all the stops for his confession to Jade that day.Jenny quickly waved her hands back and forth, declining the offer, and said, "I don't think that's a good idea. We shouldn't interfere with your first date."Max and Jade had just started dating. Jenny felt it wasn't good for her and Alec to tag along and intrude on the new couple's precious first moments together after their love had just blossomed and bore fruit."What are you all concerned about? We're just going to eat." Max glanced at her. He didn't make plans for another round of romantic gestures for Jade at the restaurant. Instead, he merely intended to treat Jenny and Alec to a meal and thank them for coming over.Jenny was still
Soon, Alec had a plate of dipping sauce in front of him, but he smelled the strong acidic vinegar and was momentarily at a loss for words. "Is this the dipping sauce you brought me?""Don't you like vinegar, just like how you like sour grapes?" Jenny asked with an innocent look on her face, seemingly puzzled about what the problem was.Alec was speechless. Of course, he was well aware that Jenny was implying his jealousy was unwarranted. He could only force a smile and reply, "Yes, you're right. I do like sour stuff."Max and Jade, sitting across from them, couldn't hear their conversation, but they could see the way they spoke softly to each other, like they were in their own little world. Their interactions went beyond that of a normal friendship."Have they gotten back together?" Max asked, looking at them quizzically. They looked more like a couple than he and Jade did.Jade chuckled and didn't know what to say. "I don't think so.""Hmm..." Max snorted humorlessly, wondering
Seeing how insistent Zack was, Gilbert didn't know what to say. "Since you insist, then do as you please. I've done my part and said what needs to be said. If you get hurt in the future, that's on you. However, there's one thing I can tell you clearly—I won't accept her. Of course, you probably don't care. So, please don't bring her to my house in the future. If you two are inseparable, then you don't need to drop by from now on either."Gilbert's stance was clear as day, and Zack's face became increasingly grim as he took in his brother's words."Do you really not want to give her a chance?" Zack asked. He didn't understand why Gilbert, who'd always been nice and friendly to everyone, was so skeptical of Janet.Looking at Zack with a serious expression, Gilbert said, "She doesn't need me to give her a chance. No matter what she's done in the past, I can ignore it, but I won't accept that kind of woman marrying you. Do you understand?"He couldn't care less about such matters, but
From the window of his study, Gilbert watched as Zack and Janet left. He then picked up his phone to call Jenny.“Jenny, I won’t meddle in Zack’s affairs anymore, and you’d better not either. Some people just don’t learn their lessons until they pay a price for it.”Zack hadn’t encountered any major difficulties in life so far and had quite a smooth journey. Although people like him were blessed and lived a happy life, they weren’t exposed to the dangers of the world. Gilbert thought it was time for him to suffer and learn from his mistakes.Before Jenny could ask what was going on, Gilbert hung up the phone. Taken aback by the situation, Jenny continued to stare at her phone in confusion.“What’s wrong?” Alec was next to her and naturally heard Gilbert’s words.Jenny shook her head and didn’t say anything to him. Instead, she got up, walked out of the private room, and dialed Zack’s number.“Zack, where are you?” Jenny asked.“Hey, Jenny. Janet and I are looking for a place to
"Have you seen many people who can make it to the end with their first love?" When Alec asked that question, he lamented the fact that, despite his undying love for Jenny, they had yet to begin dating. Sometimes, being together for a long time didn't necessarily lead to marriage; instead, it gave rise to a lot of conflicts between a couple. Jenny thought Alec had a point. "Hmm…you're right. It seems Gilbert and I were a little too anxious.""Although you consider Zack your older brother, he's actually not as mature as you are. This is typical rebellious behavior—the more you try to stop him, the more he wants to be with that woman. So, when you see him later, it's best to just ask what happened between him and Gilbert and not say much about wanting him to give up on her," Alec advised.Jenny nodded. "Okay, I understand."As they spoke, the car had already entered the parking lot of the residential complex. They walked into the elevator, and Jenny was still thinking about what to
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