"Jennifer, what's gotten into you? Why didn't you greet Michel?" Laura reminded her.Only then did Jennifer snap back to reality. She squeezed out a smile and greeted, "Long time no see, Michel.""It's been years, Jennifer. You've turned into quite the young lady," Michel responded while looking at her, his tone still as brotherly as ever.Suddenly, Laura glanced at Jennifer's stomach and commented, "Jennifer, have you put on weight recently? Look at your tummy."Jennifer's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively looked down at her belly. Sure enough, it was starting to show a slight bulge.If even Laura could notice, it was only a matter of time before Maxwell did too. Anxiety gripped Jennifer as she took a seat across from them. Then, she took a sip of water in an attempt to hide her unease. Michel pinched Laura's cheek. "It's rude to ask if a woman has put on weight. You should watch what you say."Laura playfully stuck out her tongue and said, "Jennifer and I are very
Michel chuckled and responded, "Well, that sounds good. I'm counting on you to keep this secret.""What about you? Are you planning to toy with Laurie's feelings while being involved with another woman? If that's what you have in mind, I won't just sit back and watch!" Jennifer said sharply.Right then, Laura returned from the restroom. Michel and Jennifer swiftly gathered themselves, showing no signs of tension. "What were you guys talking about just now?" Laura inquired with a smile. "I could see you two going back and forth from a distance."Michel grinned and responded perfunctorily, "Jennifer was reminiscing about our school days. Looking back now, I really missed those times."Laura happily nestled against him. "I don't miss those days at all. If they hadn't banned dating in school back then, I would've been glued to you every day. Isn't it better now? I can openly show my affection for you."Frustrated, Jennifer kept her opinions down while eating and did not utter a si
Meanwhile, after the date, Michel held Laura's hand and suggested, "Laurie, why don't you stay over tonight? After all, our families know and approve of our relationship."Laura was excited. However, she restrained herself. "Michel, I do want to take our relationship one step further and be more intimate with you. But I still think we should get married first. It'll be more meaningful once we tie the knot."I've been looking forward to being your bride for so long. I want to pick the most important day to give myself to you." A blush spread across her cheeks as she spoke, while her clear eyes brimmed with sincerity and determination. Michel, somewhat disappointed, replied, "It's just a marriage certificate. You're usually very open-minded, aren't you? Why are you so hesitant today?"Although Laura appeared carefree and unrestrained around the people she was close with, she was a woman with boundaries. She knew precisely what should and should not be done. In other words, she
"Um…" Michel said with difficulty, "I doubt this will succeed. It's a major project that requires massive funding. Your dad won't just agree to it."My parents have tried talking to him several times, but he seems fixated on collaborating with that company this time. Unless…"Laura pressed on, "Unless what?"Michel uttered each word deliberately, "Unless we know the offer for this project. That way, my family can gain the upper hand. "And we can only obtain those details from your dad's computer. Do you… understand what I'm saying?"His eyes gleamed with intense determination. To Laura, it felt like staring into a vast black hole, pulling her into its depths and causing her to lose her rationality.After hesitating for a long while, Laura asked, "Are you suggesting I steal the bidding documents from my dad's computer?""Laurie, this isn't stealing, it's helping. After all, the Jensens and Scotts are in-laws. We'll be a family in the future, and only families won't harm their ow
Laura felt a surge of panic and hastily pressed the mute button. She then dashed out of the study, terrified of being caught. The feeling of sneaking around like a thief was truly unbearable.Back in her room, she realized it was a call from Jennifer, and only then did she heave a sigh of relief. Laura lowered her voice before answering the call, "Jennifer, why are you calling me in the middle of the night? You nearly gave me a heart attack.""Laurie, I… There's something I need to tell you," Jennifer said, "I've thought about it all night and decided you should know.""What is it? Why so serious?" Laura inquired with confusion. Jennifer paused momentarily. Then, she told her friend the truth. "I was out shopping yesterday and saw Michel with another woman. They were buying clothes together. Maxwell saw them, too."Laura froze, unable to speak for a long time. Finally, she asked, "Are you sure it was Michel?""How could I not recognize Michel? I even asked him at lunch tod
If Michel was truly seeing someone else, why would he stay with Laura?Laura was overwhelmed with distress. Numerous questions weighed heavily on her heart, making it hard to breathe.Michel quickly noticed her unease and asked tentatively, "What's wrong, Laurie? Is something bothering you? If it's about the project, don't worry, I can always think of something else. Don't let my issues ruin your mood."Laura found it hard to believe that such a reasonable man would cheat on her. Hence, she decided not to beat around the bush and confront the situation head-on.Laura broke free from Michel's embrace, stared at him solemnly, and said, "Jennifer told me she saw you with another woman that day. You two seemed to be all chummy. Is this true?"Michel had anticipated that Jennifer would tell Laura. He calmly answered, "Jennifer asked me about it at lunch yesterday while you were in the restroom. I told her everything. Didn't she tell you?"That woman is my client. My secretary acci
After hearing Michel's words, Laura dared not act on her own. So, she replied, "Alright, I'll follow your lead."With that, Michel sent her back to the Scott residence before rushing to the office. He threw the USB flash drive onto the desk and let out a disappointed sigh. To Michel, Laura was more of a liability than an asset. He thought he had made her happy for no good reason. However, to be safe, he still plugged the USB flash drive into his computer to check.To Michel's surprise, everything he wanted was copied onto the USB flash drive. In other words, Laura had already plugged it into Harry's computer. But unbeknownst to her, this USB flash drive was different from the others. It was custom-made and contained chips from a prestigious foreign electronics research company.As soon as the USB flash drive was connected to the computer, it could immediately retrieve all the data from that computer.Michel was extremely excited, and his eyes sparkled with intensity. He resem
Laura recognized the woman immediately. She was Sabrina Fletcher, Cadmus' daughter.At that moment, she gripped the steering wheel tightly. Laura felt as though every fiber in her body had frozen in place. She wanted nothing more than to floor the accelerator, crash the car into them, and bring an end to it all. However, her rationality made her abandon such frightening thoughts.Laura had no idea how she managed to get out of the car and stand before them. She knew she must have appeared rather pathetic to them. Nevertheless, she needed to question Michel and demand an explanation.Sabrina cast a disdainful glance at Laura before saying to Michel, "Mic, Mr. and Mrs. Jensen are getting worried. Let's head inside and not waste time talking to irrelevant people."Michel's gaze was still as gentle as ever, reminiscent of how he used to look at Laura. Yet, he treated Laura like she was invisible while holding Sabrina's hand and saying, "Let's go in."Laura stood frozen in place, h