Lara reassured Candice, "Don't worry. I paid him 100 thousand dollars to back off. He won't bother you again.""That's good to know," Candice said as she heaved a sigh of relief.When she first climbed into Justin's bed in hopes of getting him to sleep with her, he'd been so drunk he wouldn't even touch her. To trick him into believing he had knocked her up, she slept with Thomas Garcia, her former classmate. Everything worked out for her when she discovered she was pregnant.After Candice learned she was pregnant, she racked her brain for ways to get Thomas off her back. Unfortunately, Thomas was stubborn and refused to break up with her. He even hounded her parents about this.Candice had been worried that Thomas would ruin her plans, but now that he was out of the picture, she could finally relax.Lara asked fretfully, "Candice, what if Jenna wants to run a DNA test to confirm the baby's lineage?""I'll take care of it, don't worry," Candice said."Alright, then… I still thin
Serena hadn't expected Jillian to place another order through her online cake shop. This time, Jillian ordered a cake and cookies.Serena had been up since morning working on Jillian's orders, mixing dough, tempering butter, and baking the cookies. While she was baking, Bingo rolled around on the rug and occasionally bounded up to Serena to paw at her foot.It was an idyllic morning, and Serena realized she didn't mind the quietude.She made an extra batch of cookies for Willow. When she was done, she made her way downstairs with the cake and cookies, careful not to jostle them. Upon stepping past the gates, she was about to hail a ride when she spotted a familiar figure.Arthur cut a dashing figure in his tailored, light-colored suit as he leaned against his Maserati, appearing to be on a call.Serena stopped in her tracks. "Good morning.""Morning, Serena. Are you roomies with Willow?" Arthur asked pleasantly."Her apartment is across the hall from mine," Serena explained, gri
Jillian glanced at Serena before saying, "Have a seat."Serena sat down across from the older woman and asked, "How shall I address you, ma'am?""Madam Gallagher will do," Jillian replied, setting down her teacup. "Ms. Judd, I invited you over today because I think your baking is decent. A friend of mine will be holding a soirée soon, and I plan to recommend that she commission your baking for the event. What do you think?"Serena was a little surprised. "You want me to prepare desserts for her soirée? Will it be a large-scale event?""No, it's a private affair with just slightly over a dozen guests, but they're all bigwigs with acquired tastes when it comes to sweet treats." Having said all this, Jillian added for good measure, "Money won't be a problem, so name your price."Serena was honestly moved by the offer. She'd always wanted to set up a baking business, and this upcoming soirée seemed like a good place to start. "Madam Gallagher, I'm afraid I can't give you an answer rig
The fall breeze was crisp and chilly at night, but it didn't dampen the lively mood aboard a cruise ship docked by the shore. A loaded businessman had thrown a party on the cruise ship and invited plenty of socialites and members of the upper-crust society.Aaron arrived at the party with Lauren on his arm, her silver high heels clacking against the deck. She was showing more skin than usual in a dress that accentuated her tall, voluptuous figure, and her presence was met with curious stares from the male guests."Wait here while I greet an important client of mine," Aaron said gently."Okay." Lauren nodded obligingly and grabbed a champagne flute off the tray of a passing attendant. She leaned against the railing and slowly savored the champagne. A few men tried chatting her up, but she politely turned down their advances.Meanwhile, Joseph wore a simple white blouse as he held court with a few friends nearby. Suddenly, Xavier Chapman's eyes glittered as if he were a predator who
"You're not the only one who got an invitation," Joseph snapped, raising a brow. He'd wondered what Lauren was doing at the party, and now he had his answer. She came as a plus-one for her dimwitted boyfriend.Lauren sneezed delicately when the wind came off the sea. Aaron shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.Xavier and Ethan saw this and knew Aaron was marking his territory. They weren't so stupid as to overstep their boundaries, so they made up an excuse to leave and dragged Joseph with them. Joseph looked sullen as his friends frog-marched him away."Come on, Lauren. Let's go inside." Aaron took Lauren's hand and led her into the cruise ship, whereupon he introduced her to a man. "This is Mr. John Horowitz. You've met him before, Lauren."Lauren took one look at the balding man with a nasty leer and her face darkened. She had met him before, and he'd left quite the foul impression on her. During their last encounter, the old creep had accosted her at the b
The paper bag Serena carried contained the strawberry shortcake for Softie, whose address she had located within a high-end residential area. The apartments here were spacious and low-density, with two units taking up the entire floor space.It was a prestigious address, though not too far away from her apartment.Serena walked up to the unit and rang the bell. It took a while for someone to answer, and as the door slowly swung open to reveal the person on the other side, Serena froze. "You?"Standing at the door was Wilson, who wore a pale gray sweater and had one hand tucked into the pocket of his jogger pants. He braced an arm against the doorframe, his posture elegant but lazy.Serena considered the customer's nickname, "Softie", and cringed inwardly. Wilson was no softie. She'd expected someone with that nickname to be a wealthy young woman in her prime.Wilson raised a brow at the sight of Serena and feigned surprise. "Goodness, Ms. Judd. What are you doing here?"Serena as
As Serena turned to look at the night view zooming past the car window, she slipped into a daze.The gentle and strong Wilson intertwined with the bloodthirsty Wilson of that night, sending a whirl of complicated emotions through her chest.She couldn't understand her emotions, so she wanted to avoid and escape from the situation.Halfway there, Wilson received a call from his men saying that Lauren was safe, and Serena finally felt relieved.More than an hour later, they reached the location. Wilson brought her aboard the cruise ship, where someone specially came to receive them and show them into a luxurious private room. The moment they stepped in, Serena found Lauren on the couch with a glass of water in her hands. Her head was lowered, and she was quiet.There were a few people next to her, and one of them was a familiar face."Joseph?"Joseph turned to Serena. "Hey, Serena."Upon hearing Serena's voice, Lauren finally snapped out of her depressed state. "Rina…"She rai
Casper immediately denied, "We're not friends. I've only met John a few times."In the face of Wilson's power, Casper didn't waste a second to cut off ties with John.Wilson narrowed his eyes. "If that's true, you better show me how much you mean it."He took a drag and added, "This incident happened on your ship, so you should give me a satisfactory resolution.""Of course! Don't worry about it, Mr. Quade." Casper made a gesture, and two men entered the room to drag John out.Before they left, Joseph went over and kicked him a few more times.Serena said softly, "Laurie, where's Aaron?"When she heard this, the look on Lauren's face became weird, and she pulled the jacket closer around her shoulders. "I don't know…"Turning to Wilson, she asked, "Mr. Quade, will you help me to look for Aaron? I'll be forever grateful to you and even your family."Wilson raised his brows. "Are you sincere right now or not? You're saying it with such a tight face that it's scary."Despite his
Serena remembered now. Marcus was born out of David's second marriage.Marcus wheeled the birthday cake toward David. He stopped beside David and grinned. "Happy birthday, Dad! May you have a long and healthy life ahead of you!""Looks like you've pulled yourself together, Marcus," David praised, smiling. He'd never smiled like that when Jacob was around.David paid no mind to Jacob's darkened expression as he pulled Marcus closer and launched into introductions. "Everyone, this is Marcus. He's been majoring in finance abroad and flew home especially for my birthday today!"A few guests at the table recognized Marcus. "Goodness, it's Marcus! I haven't seen him in years! He sure looks different now.""Yes, he looks a lot like a younger Mr. David."Jacob lifted his gaze. "Dad, why didn't you tell me Marcus was coming home today?"David's smile slipped. "You should have known he was coming home, Jacob. You're the older brother, so don't go blaming me for not keeping you up to date
A loud cough suddenly sounded behind Jacob and the others. David was making his way down the stairs with Natasha's help."Mr. Smith," Wilson greeted.A shadow fell over David's face. "Wilson, I wasn't expecting you to come.""It's your birthday today, Mr. Smith. It's only right that I come over and celebrate with you out of respect, wouldn't you say?" Wilson said congenially. He snaked an arm around Serena's shoulders as he approached David. "Mr. Smith, allow me to introduce my girlfriend, Serena Judd."David made a noise of approval. "She's got a decent face and build, that much I'll say. You got lucky, Wilson.""Oh, my luck with the ladies is nothing compared to yours, Mr. Smith." Wilson grinned.Beside David, Natasha looked a little uneasy. She clutched David's arm and asked, "Would you like to sit, Mr. Smith?""Bring me to the couch so I may catch my breath."Natasha did as she was told and helped David to the couch, whereupon they sat.Jacob and Wilson sauntered to one si
Serena wished she could sew Wilson's mouth shut. He helped her put on her clothes and said, "We're going to the Smith residence tonight. It's Jacob's father's birthday."Serena considered her plans for the day. The patisserie was doing all right recently, and she had nothing urgent to take care of. As such, she agreed to be Wilson's plus-one.…Serena and Wilson arrived downstairs to find that Elsa had already prepared a meal for them. Under Elsa's curious and meaningful gaze, Serena finished her food and headed out with Wilson.They dropped by an upscale women's boutique. Serena was about to leave after picking out a dress when Wilson grabbed her wrist. "You may as well pick out a few more outfits now that we're here. With that killer figure of yours, you'll look good in anything."It was still early, so Serena decided to stay and shop a little while longer. It would have been foolish of her to decline Wilson's generous offer of new clothes. She tried on a dozen outfits, and Wils
Waking up late the next day, Serena's eyes slowly blinked open, her thoughts still hazy and unfocused. She stared at the blackout curtains that had been drawn over the window, and the memories from last night flashed through her mind.As the hand on her side gently shifted, a voice rumbled, "Are you up?"Serena hummed in response, her throat a little dry. Last night had been wild; she'd behaved nothing like her usual self. She blushed slightly at the thought.Wilson gently pinched the soft flesh of her waist and kissed her. "Lie in for a bit."With that, he lifted the blanket and got out of bed. The soft glow of the bedside lamp illuminated the room a second later, and he handed Serena a glass of water. "To quench your thirst."Wilson's tone was warm and mild, but the way his alluring eyes fixed on Serena turned his sentence into a double entendre. Diffident, she took the glass from him and had a few gulps of water.Wilson then set the glass down and began putting on his clothes.
Wilson brought Serena back to his villa.Serena was greeted by the feast on the table when she entered the door and noted her favorite dishes among the food. Wilson explained, "When I came home earlier, I told Elsa to make dinner. We'll be eating here tonight."Serena nodded. She took a seat at the table, only to see Elsa Rosenburg bustling around to tend to her needs. She served Serena soup, brought her a wine glass, and even warmly asked Serena if she could have cold drinks.Wilson narrowed his eyes from across the table. "Elsa, if you'd like to take a look at my girlfriend, you may do so openly without buzzing around her like a bee."An awkward chuckle escaped Elsa. Oh, well, so much for being subtle. But could Wilson blame her? He'd only ever brought men home, and this was the first time he'd brought a woman over—and she was his girlfriend, no less!It was a rare sight for Elsa, indeed. Before this, she thought Wilson and Jacob were dating.Elsa stared at Serena for a moment,
Damian's eyes darkened. He strode over to Wilson. "Mr. Quade."Wilson appraised him from head to toe. "What is your purpose of getting close to Serena?"Damian looked baffled. "I've known Serena for years, and we've always been on good terms. What do you mean by that question, Mr. Quade?""The next time you act dumb and naïve, try to be more convincing. Who are you trying to fool when you can't even keep the scheming look out of your eyes?" Wilson drawled.Damian froze, then flashed Wilson a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Quade. Serena may be your girlfriend, but she has the freedom to be friends with whomever she wants."Wilson took a drag of his cigarette. "You sabotaged the security camera at Serena's place previously, didn't you?"Damian's smile vanished.Contempt gleamed in Wilson's narrowed eyes as he added, "Stay in line if you don't want Serena to find out just how despicable you are. I don't want to see you anywhere near Serena after this."With a
Wilson leaned into his seat and waved at Jillian through the screen as he said, "How is that you look younger since the last time we met, Madam Gallagher? And you look so fabulous and festive in that jacket, too. How will anyone tell you and an 18-year-old young woman apart?""You and your nonsense." Jillian laughed at the compliments. She gave him a meaningful look. "Do you know who got me this jacket?""Your old sweetheart?""Piss off!" Jillian snapped. "Serena got me the jacket."Surprise flickered in Wilson's eyes. He chuckled and said, "My mistake. So, it was my sweetheart who got you the jacket. How nice and generous of her; she is far better than your granddaughter. Did you reward her?""Reward her all you like when you get home." Jillian held up her phone and scoffed. "You should know you're lucky to have tricked a lovely young lady like her into falling for you."Trevor was confused. "Wait, are you familiar with Serena, too?""Yes. Our paths crossed somehow, and we beca
"Did you come to talk to me about the shop?" Jillian waved her hand dismissively. "I already told you, you get to call the shots when it comes to the patisserie. You don't have to report back to me on every little thing. Just give me my share of the profits every year."Serena said warmly, "I didn't come to talk to you about work. I just wanted to see you."Jillian went still. "What's there to see? I'm just a little old lady, and we aren't even close.""You did me a huge favor, Madam Gallagher. Visiting you is part for the course." Serena produced the gift bag and said, "I went shopping today and saw this. I thought it'd suit you and took the liberty of getting it for you. Try it on."Jillian glanced at the item in the gift bag. The style and color were to her liking, indeed. "I appreciate the gift. Leave it there.""Perhaps you should try it on first," Serena suggested, taking out the jacket and holding it up. She gently tugged on Jillian's arm and prompted, "Come on, Madam Galla
Jenna narrowed her eyes at Willow. "Your last name is Quade? What's your relationship with Wilson Quade?""He's my older cousin," Willow answered.Jenna's expression turned stormy when she heard this. She despised the Quade family.At that moment, Serena returned with the retail assistant. She had paid for Jillian's present and was ready to leave when Willow clutched her arm. "Help me pick something out."Serena nodded and began looking around the boutique with Willow.Jenna stared daggers at the two young ladies, her mood growing fouler by the second. She said scathingly, "They say birds of a feather flock together. I bet Willow is just as bad as Serena. Did you smell the smoke on her when she walked past us earlier? She must have been smoking outside before she entered the boutique!"Kelly looked offended. "Smoking doesn't mean anything. I was a smoker when I was young, too." She used to be a photographer and picked up smoking due to the stressful nature of her job. She only qu