Valarie suggested, "Now close your eyes and think about it. If he were to kiss you, would you resist?"Nyla imagined it and realized she didn't feel like resisting. If she had to say she was looking forward to it, that didn't seem to be the case either.She honestly shared her feelings with Valarie, who couldn't help but feel sympathy for Oliver. After chasing her for five years, Nyla still didn't seem to have any feelings for him."Okay, now imagine if it were Damon who wanted to kiss you," Valarie suggested again."Absolutely not," Nyla answered without hesitation, her tone laced with disdain.She had never considered the possibility of getting back together with Damon.The past hurt was real, and five years had passed between them. There was no way they could return to how things used to be."Why do you sound so certain?" Valarie asked.Nyla pressed her lips together. "Because I'm sure I don't want anything to do with him."Valarie sighed and slowly said, "Nyla, not wanting
Seeing Valarie start to drink the smoothie, Phoebe smiled kindly. "How was today's auction? Did you find any jewelry you liked?"Valarie nodded. "I did! Oh, I even bought a set for you! I'll get it for you!"Phoebe stopped her. "No need to do that now. You can give it to me tomorrow. Just focus on drinking the smoothie first. I came over tonight because I wanted to talk to you about something.""What is it?" Valarie asked."About tomorrow's blind date. Remember to dress modestly. The Comstocks are quite traditional and don't like women who are too flashy," Phoebe reminded her.Valarie paused, frowning at her mother. "Mom, even if I can put on an act for tomorrow, I can't pretend forever. I think it's better to show my true self during a blind date."Besides, she wasn't a product that needed to be dressed up to meet someone else's expectations."Valarie, I know you don't want to go on this blind date... but our family isn't what it used to be. You're getting older, and it's no lo
Nathaniel was enraged, veins pulsing on his forehead. He clenched his fist and struck Rebecca hard.Despite the intense pain coursing through her body, Rebecca didn't scream or beg for mercy like before. Instead, she burst into laughter.She laughed at how she and Nathaniel were like two pitiful creatures, harming and despising each other yet unable to leave one another.At first, she planned to live this pathetic life, but that changed when she saw that Nyla was still alive. Even if she were to die, she wanted to drag those who had hurt her down to hell with her!…The next morning, after Nyla woke up and washed up, she began making breakfast for Mason.By 7:30 a.m., Mason was awake. Once he brushed his teeth and got dressed, he walked out of his bedroom.Seeing Nyla bringing breakfast to the table, he cheerfully called out, "Mommy, good morning! What's for breakfast? It smells so good!""I made bacon and eggs, as well as some pancakes and waffles," Nyla replied."I love panc
There was a brief silence on the other end before Damon's voice came through, sounding a bit heavy. "Since Buddy agrees, I have no objections."With that, he hung up.In the study, Damon set down his phone, his expression darkening.He was supposed to be taking Mason to the zoo with Nyla as a family of three, and he didn't understand why Oliver had to tag along.Frowning in thought for a moment, he called Spencer."Is the Raynor Group too idle lately? Find something for Oliver to do. Ideally, he should be back in Capitarnia these days and too busy to be in Saintornia," he instructed.Spencer was taken aback. "Mr. Sumner, did Mr. Raynor offend you?""Just do as I say! Why are you talking so much?" Damon snapped.Spencer replied, "Alright, I understand."After hearing the busy tone, Spencer set down his phone and looked at Luca, who was standing in front of him.He instructed, "Take this document to the Sumner Group and give it to Mr. Brandon."Luca happily took the document.
Valarie raised an eyebrow, about to speak when her gaze suddenly fell on someone not far ahead.A hint of surprise flickered in her eyes. She hadn't expected to run into Brandon at a blind date.Their eyes met briefly, but Brandon quickly averted his gaze and acted as if he hadn't seen her. He turned to leave.Valarie's expression remained unchanged as she redirected her focus to Benjamin across from her, who was still nitpicking everything."Mr. Comstock, I think we're not a good match. Let's end this here. Goodbye," Valarie said as she stood up to leave.Benjamin blocked her way, saying with a hint of condescension, "Ms. Weir, I believe that, aside from your spending habits, everything else about you is still tolerable."After all, Valarie was beautiful and fit his idea of innocence, so he felt generally satisfied with her. If she could just listen to him a bit more after they started dating, spending money on her wouldn't be an issue.Valarie smiled. "Mr. Comstock, I can't ch
That evening, Brandon and Damon sat together in a private room at a high-end bar in Saintornia. They silently poured drinks into their glasses, both wearing grim expressions that radiated an aura discouraging any approach.Eventually, Brandon couldn't hold back and looked at Damon."Uncle Damon, was your pursuit of Aunt Nyla this difficult?" he asked.The memory of Valarie's rejection, followed by her date with a loser, frustrated Brandon. Did she really think so little of him?Damon glanced at Brandon but didn't respond. He was too preoccupied with the upcoming Saturday trip to the zoo with Oliver to take on the role of emotional mentor for Brandon.It seemed that Brandon didn't expect an answer anyway. He took another gulp and angrily stated, "Whatever, it doesn't matter to me anymore. There are plenty of women in the world. I'm not going to be hung up on her!"I've pursued her for five years, and now she's missed out. She's the one who should regret it, not me!"I'm so angry!
"Shut up!" Damon snapped.He couldn't take it anymore and grabbed Brandon's phone to call Valarie.When the call connected, he reported the bar and private room before hanging up and leaving. He couldn't stay any longer—Brandon was driving him crazy.…On the other end, Valarie hadn't even had a chance to speak before the call ended. She tried calling back several times, but no one picked up.Biting her lip, she contemplated whether to go over.Finally, after five minutes, she changed her clothes and headed out.Just as she opened the door, she spotted Phoebe, who was about to knock while holding a glass of acai smoothie.Seeing that Valarie wasn't in her pajamas, Phoebe looked puzzled. "Valarie, it's so late. Are you going out?""Yeah," Valarie replied, her expression slightly unnatural. "Nyla said she needed to see me about something."Phoebe frowned and asked, "What's so urgent that you have to go out at this hour? Can't it wait until tomorrow?""I don't know, Mom. Stop a
Thanks to that little interruption, Valarie snapped back to reality. She pushed Brandon away and got to her feet, her cheeks flushed."Brandon, I'm warning you! If you pull something like that again, I won't care about you anymore!" she barked.Brandon stared at her in confusion, seemingly unable to recall what had just happened."Who are you?" he asked.Valarie was exasperated. He had just kissed her, and now he didn't recognize her?Nonetheless, this wasn't the time to dwell on that. She needed to find a way to get him home.After thinking for a moment, Valarie called a driver to help her get Brandon to the car.Fortunately, after what had happened, he seemed tired and fell asleep without a fuss.Once she helped him into the back seat and buckled him in, she told the driver the address."He has someone at home. Just ring the doorbell, and they'll come to get him," she instructed.The driver nodded. "Okay."As Valarie watched the driver pull away, she turned and headed back