In the end, everyone claimed to have steered clear of Hayden's room."Mr. Tate, you heard everything on the speaker. None of them entered your room," the receptionist said. "Did you lose something?""No," Hayden said. He thought to himself, 'Is that woman not coming forward out of fear that I might punish her for what happened? If that's the case, it's best that I don't disturb her.'Hayden arrived at the dining hall where the breakfast buffet was being served."Hayden." Avery spotted him and hurried over. "How are you doing? If you feel sick, you should rest in your room.""I'm fine, Mom.""Did you sleep well last night, Hayden? I was worried that you might throw up." Layla handed him a glass of juice.He shook his head. "I just need water.""Hayden, the gift bags for the guests at my wedding have become the talk of the town now," Layla said as she set her glass of juice down. "There are no photos, but everyone now knows that I was giving out gold bars and cars to my guests."
Shelly collapsed on her bed dazedly when she returned to her apartment with memories of the night before replaying in her mind.It had been a preposterous night.Hayden was a gentleman, and Shelly was the one who had taken the initiative.When she had seen that Hayden had completely submerged his body in the cold water, including his head, she had been worried that he might suffocate.If Hayden had died, the police would arrest her as the first suspect as she had been alone in the room with Hayden.Considering all these factors, she had dragged Hayden out of the water, and everything had swiftly spiraled out of control.She admitted that she had been enthralled by Hayden’s looks as she would have ran if she had been in the same situation with a horrendous-looking man; but because she had been with Hayden, she had done something unexpected.Other than a tinge of embarrassment, she felt nothing else afterward.Had Hayden not been drugged, she would have never had the chance to be
Ever since Courtney left home, she had been living a privileged life and had not seen any hardship, so her resume was rather empty with only a description of her educational history and a remark at the end that stated she had no bad habits."I don't really know what to put in it. I didn't get any certificates during my time at university because my parents said I didn't need to worry about that. They told me to work for our family business after I graduated so I wouldn't have to suffer out there. I thought they meant it, but they turned around to set me up for an arranged marriage as soon as I graduate!" Courtney sighed."Why don't we swap places, then?" Shelly stood from the bed.Courtney shook her head. "Forget it! I will go home once I have spent all the money I have left.""Have you thought things through?""After seeing how little you end up with despite how hard you try, I've realized it's best for me to go home."Courtney's words left Shelly feeling conflicted. "You are ri
A week later, Hayden's holiday in Aryadelle ended, and Avery and Elliot sent him off to the airport."Hayden, if you want a girlfriend, try your best to look around you when you are back in Bridgedale. Be more proactive," Avery reminded him. "Love doesn't just fall into your lap. You need to look for it.""Are you really not going to move your company to Aryadelle? At least open a branch here," Elliot said.Avery wanted Hayden to find a partner, while Elliot wanted him to stay by their sides."I will consider what you two have said. Go home! I will call you when I arrive," Hayden said."Yeah. If you can't really hold your liquor, don't drink so much next time," Avery added thoughtfully.Hayden's mind was instantly brought back to how he had been tricked at Layla's wedding.Though it was now in the past, he would never forget what had happened that night when he had given his first time to a stranger.At this point, he could no longer remember what the woman had looked like beca
Shea lay in bed, expressionless.She was drifting off to sleep more frequently, and as it became harder to wake her, her memories slipped through her fingers.She could sense that she was about to leave the world.She thought back to how she had begged Wesley to take her away years ago out of fear that Elliot would be devastated.This time, she was braver and wanted to bid her farewell to her family.By the time Elliot and Avery arrived at the hospital, Shea had drifted off to sleep again.She had tried her best to wait for them, but she could not control her brain.Wesley handed Shea's medical record to Avery. "Her situation is severe, and all possible treatments have been used, but there's been little to no effect. The treatment process can be painful, and she wants to stop." Wesley sat down next to the bed. "The doctors don't recommend that we keep up with the treatment either."Avery glanced through the medical record and said, "If she doesn't intend to get any further trea
Another week went by, and Shea's funeral took place in a certain five-star hotel.According to her dying wish, her family had only invited their closest family members and friends.Hayden had hurried back three days ago and had been devastated that he had not had the chance to say goodbye to Shea.The last time he had spoken to Shea had been during the New Year's celebration.Shea had come up to him and had talked to him about his career, marriage, and family.Hayden had not known that that was to be his last conversation with Shea.Though he had seen Shea during Layla's wedding, he had been too preoccupied with entertaining the guests and had not been able to say much to Shea.After the ceremony, Shea's body was to be sent for cremation.Hayden pressed his hands against the coffin, refusing to let them take her away.Avery tapped him on the shoulder and signaled for him to let go."Let her rest in peace, Hayden," Wesley said. "She said that she had already said her goodbyes
"Alright! Try the pregnancy test. There are instructions written inside. Just follow the steps." The staff scanned the pregnancy test and helped her with the payment.After the payment, Shelly immediately shoved the pregnancy test into her bag and hurried back to her apartment.Courtney had just spent the last bit of her savings and was packing to go home."Shelly, my tenancy contract doesn't expire until a month after today, so I might come by anytime," Courtney said to Shelly. "Pray for me. I don't want to get into another big fight with my family. Living with no money sucks.""Just apologize to them first. I'm sure they don't want to see you suffer." Shelly set her bag down to walk Courtney out of the apartment."What medicine did you buy?" Courtney glanced at the bag."Oh... My period is late by a few days. It's not a big deal.""Oh, that's normal, isn't it? It's not like it's a few months late. I once went on an extreme diet, and I didn't get my period for two months straig
Shelly laid on the couch and felt as though she had lost all hope.Her family was still in debt, and she was barely making ends meet. If she was indeed pregnant, she would have another mouth to feed.'Oh, God! This is a disaster! If anything can go wrong, it will!' she thought.She lay still for a while before sitting up.Feeling thirsty, she poured herself a glass of water and regained her composure.She started to research what people did when they found out they were pregnant without a partner, and the comments on the internet seemed to be divided into two situations.If the person in concern was a student:[Tell your family, and get an abortion! Don't be afraid that your parents will be mad at you. Your parents are the only people who will help!][Tell your boyfriend, and see what he thinks. If he wants the baby, you can keep it. An abortion can severely damage your health!]If the person in concern had graduated:[If your boyfriend is willing to bear the responsibility,